


Lunam in umbra mea, amissi amore

by LeeGale



Category: Persona 5
Genre: AU, Bisexual Takamaki Ann, Coffee Dad Sakura Sojiro, Demisexual Kurusu Akira, F/F, Homophobia, How Do I Tag, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, M/M, Mishima has a palace, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panromantic Kurusu Akira, Pining, Post-Okumura palace, Queer Mishima Yuuki, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:54:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 34,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23561878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeeGale/pseuds/LeeGale
Summary: Mishima Yukki has a palace, and the Phantom Theives have to help him. Even if it hurts...The title is Latin for "My moon's shadow, my lost love" because why the fuck not.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Mishima Yuuki, Cognitive Kurusu Akira/Shadow Mishima Yuuki, Kitagawa Yusuke/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Mishima Yuuki, Kurusu Akira/Shadow Mishima Yuuki, Mishima Yuuki/Persona 5 Protagonist, Niijima Makoto/Okumura Haru, One-sided Akechi Goro/Mishima Yuuki, Suzui Shiho/Takamaki Ann
Comments: 49
Kudos: 149





	1. Et cui palatium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter means "He has a palace" in Latin because I like Latin. Fight me.

Akira frowned at what he saw on his phone. He had already figured that that was the case, but for it to be confirmed... He called Futaba and asked her to get everyone to meet him at the hideout. He was silent as he drank his coffee, a pensive atmosphere so thick around him that Sojiro didn't know how to approach him, so he left the teen be. They were the only ones in the cafe, except for Morgana of course, so Sojiro eventually walked over and talked to him.  
"Akira? You good, kid?" he asked, startling Akira from his thoughts. The teen actually flinched away, having been so wrapped up in his mind that he hadn't realised Sojiro was near him. He took a breath to calm his racing heart before hesitating. He frowned before sighing, shaking his head.  
"What's wrong?" Sojiro questioned, placing a hand on Akira's shoulder. The teen hesitated before sighing again.  
"My friend has a palace..." he replied, earning a confused frown from Sojiro before the older man realised what he meant.  
"Like Futaba had? Does that mean you have to go after them?" he asked, moving to sit next to Akira. The teen nodded, brow furrowed as Sojiro asked another question, "Why do you seem so upset? You've done this before, right?"  
"We don't know what went wrong with Okumura, for one, and he's my friend. I know him..." Akira replied, frown deepening. Sojiro took a moment to think about that before sighing.  
"You blame yourself for not noticing what was wrong," he observed, sighing again when Akira nodded, "You can't blame yourself for that. Surely someone else noticed something was wrong..."  
Akira shook his head, self-hatred boiling in his gut as he muttered out a bitter, "He doesn't. His parents are useless and I'm his only friend. And I let him down."  
Sojiro blinked in surprise at that, but Futaba entering distracted him. He glanced between the pair before sighing and nodding, standing as he said something about making the group's usual drinks. Akira sent him a thankful smile as he moved over to one of the booths, Futaba following and crouching on the seat next to him.  
"The others are on their ways," she stated, staring at Akira with curiosity in her gaze, "You mentioned that we had a new target, right? Is that a good idea so soon after Okumura?"  
Akira just sent her a tired look as Morgana jumped onto the seat next to her, meowing out a response.  
"He's been pretty secretive about who it is. All I know is that it's one of his friends," he stated, sending Akira a curious look as the teen continued to brood over his coffee. He stayed silent until everyone was there, frowning all the while. None of them were used to seeing their fearless leader look so disturbed, so they were really concerned. Eventually, though, he sighed and spoke up.  
"Mishima has a palace."  
There was a moment of silence before Ryuji swore, frowning, "Fuck. Are you serious? Mishima of all people? The hell? The guy's so fucking nice!"  
Akira sighed before pulling out his phone. He opened the Meta-Nav and put his phone on the table, in full view of the group. None of them could deny that the app said Mishima had a palace...  
"Um... I'm sorry, but who is Mishima?" Haru piped up, reminding everyone that she was the newest member and had yet to meet Mishima properly (none of them counted the encounter on the beach in Hawaii as a real meeting). Ann glanced at Akira, who was glaring at his phone like it had done him some personal injustice, before opening her mouth.  
"he's a boy in our year. He runs the Phansite," she explained, earning several nods as Haru made an understanding noise. Morgana spoke up too.  
"He's also the love of Akira's life," he stated, causing Akira to blush and stutter.  
"I... No... He's..." Akira couldn't argue with the cat on that point, no matter how much he wanted to. He'd caught feelings for the smaller teen when Mishima had started helping with the Phansite. The unadulterated passion in his eyes when he talked about helping others, how he smiled so brightly, how safe Akira felt around him... It all led to Akira falling for him, and hard.  
"Wait, you have feelings for Mishima?" Ryuji asked, blinking in surprise when Akira hesitantly nodded. It was quiet for a moment before Makoto piped up.  
"Do you have any idea why he may have a palace?" she asked, eyes steady on Akira. The latter was grateful that she wasn't judging him but annoyed at himself for not having an exact answer to her question. He considered it for a moment before internally slapping himself for not having realised sooner.  
"He has self-esteem issues and seems to think that we could help him launch to fame. It possibly stems from that," he replied, frown deepening as he grabbed his phone, pulling up his contacts and scrolling to the last conversation he had had with Mishima. It was that that had prompted him to check if he had a palace. He had just seemed so... different when he said he'd do his best to make sure no one talked badly about the Phantom Thieves, especially when he said that anyone who did so on his site would be punished... He placed the phone back where the others could read it. They did, all frowning at what Mishima had said. It was quiet as they processed the truth before Makoto sighed, focusing on Akira.  
"I know it will be difficult for you, but we need to take his shadow down," she stated, frowning and placing a reassuring hand in his arm. He nodded, watching his phone as it went to sleep before looking at his friends, a determined fire glowing vividly in his eyes.  
"We will save him."


	2. Mihi luna, tristis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is Latin for "My moon, sad".

It was quiet as everyone considered what Mishima's keywords were. They had already figured that one of them would be "Phansite", but they weren't quite sure what he viewed it as. They had tried everything from home and sanctuary to resort and refuge, but nothing seemed to work. Akira was sure Mishima saw the Phansite as his safe place, his haven...  
"Haven," he said suddenly, looking up from the list of possibilities he had been writing. His eyes focused on his phone as the Meta-Nav acknowledged his word, stating that they had access to Mishima's palace. Everyone looked up at the sound, glad to have finally found the last word. Akira hesitated before grabbing his phone, looking at everyone. They nodded, and he loaded the palace. Around them, nothing really changed. The only difference was that Morgana had changed his form. At least, nothing was different until they looked outside. Outside of LeBlanc, the sky was dark except for one building in the distance. It was bright and colourful, spot-lights dancing along the glass sides as fireworks exploded behind it. From where they were, they couldn't make out all of the details, but they knew they had to head there. They all rushed out of the cafe, hopping into Morgana as soon as he transformed. The drive to the building was relatively quick, but it felt like a lifetime to Akira. However, once they got close they realised that it was more than just a building. The one they had seen was the largest, yes, but there were more. In fact, it seemed to be an entire resort, complete with a pool, several arcades and a fairground. And it was all dedicated to Mishima and the Phantom Thieves. It was quiet for a long moment as the left Morgana and he transformed back to his usual form before Akira sighed and turned to the others. He looked down at Morgana, who realised what he wanted and started talking.  
"His treasure is in that large building, right at the top," he stated, wide eyes looking around as he examined the rest of the resort, "But it seems like we won't be able to go directly there, not if his palace is this big."  
Akira made an understanding noise as he looked around too. The place seemed like a fairly normal resort, even if the only themes were Mishima and the Phantom Thieves, except the guests. They all seemed a little... off. Not in the way that people had in previous palaces, like robots or cash machines, but there was something distinctly wrong about them. Akira didn't realise what it was until Makoto spoke up.  
"Their faces..." she whispered, eyes wide, "They look like they aren't happy. Like they're angry. Like they hate something."  
That was when Akira realised what it meant, frowning as he spoke, "Mishima thinks everyone hates him, even in his palace..."  
It was quiet for a moment, no one knowing what to say as they continued to stare around them. A sudden change in the crowds around them had the looking over at the source of the commotion, moving through the crowd easily until they arrived at the front of the tall building. They stopped at what they saw.  
Mishima.  
He was stood there, wearing a deep blue suit embroidered with stars and moons and smirking at the crowd in front of him. He seemed ignorant to the scowls his guests wore, confidence oozing off of him as he brought a microphone to his lips.  
"My dear guests." he started, his voice lower than normal as it dripped off of his tongue. Akira hated to admit it, but the almost sultry purr of the shadow got to him as the yellow-eyed teen continued, "I know, I know. You do not care for me. You are just here for our wonderful heroes, hmm?"  
The guests stopped scowling long enough to agree, and Akira felt his heart squeeze. So Mishima thought no one cared for him, that they only wanted whoever his 'heroes' were... The shadow speaking again stopped Akira going down that line of thought.  
"In that case, may I introduce... The Phantom Thieves." Akira was so distracted by the breathy quality Mishima's voice had taken that he didn't realise what he had said at first. But he did when he saw who walked out of the building. The cognitive versions of the Phantom Thieves were all dressed to the nines and the crowd was hollering for them. Shadow Mishima smirked at the sight as he stepped in front of the Thieves.  
"Now, now, my sweet guests," he called over the din, smirking slightly as the crowd quietened, glaring at him, "May I remind you that I am the one who pushed the Phantom Thieves to fame? Even when all of you doubted them, called them murders and blamed them for Okumura, I stuck by them. So, despite what you may think, I am their biggest fan. And they are my fans. Isn't that right, sweet Akira?"  
With that, cognitive Akira stepped forward. He seemed a little out of it as he glared at Mishima, who continued to smirk despite the hatred that radiated from his supposed 'heroes'. The real Akira couldn't believe the words that spilt from the fake's lips.  
"We do not care for you." he almost snarled, "We just needed you."  
"And that, my love, is exactly why you are my fans. You needed me, just as I needed you." Mishima stated, his eyes falling on the real Phantom Thieves for the first time. He seemed surprised before a more predatory smirk crawled across his face as he spoke directly at the real ones, "And who may you be? You bear a striking resemblance to my heroes..."  
Akira didn't even hesitate as he stepped forward, moving towards his crush's shadow without a word. He knew his team wouldn't have anticipated the movement, but they followed him anyway. They came to a stop in front of Mishima, who tilted his head as he stared up at Akira.  
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were the real Phantom Thieves," he said quietly, something akin to sadness in his tone. Akira just stared him in the eyes, ignoring how his heart hurt at the sight of harsh gold replacing the usually deep, innocent blackness of Mishima's eyes.  
"We are the real ones, dumbass," Ryuji spoke up, moving forward, but the shadow didn't take his eyes off of Akira as he smiled sadly.  
"Now, that can't be true. The real ones would never care enough about me to come here," he stated, finally breaking eye contact as he looked over at Ryuji, "But if you are, I have a small challenge for you To prove it.  
Ryuji looked like he wanted to argue, but Akira spoke first, muttering a quiet, "What's the challenge?"  
Mishima smirked, leaning up and brushing his lips against Akira's ear as he whispered.  
"Prove I'm worthy. Show me you care enough to actually be here. To the real me." his voice was lower than usual, and when paired with the feeling of his lips against his ear, it made Akira shiver. The shadow pulled away, eyes focused on Akira alone as he spoke at a normal volume, "Do that, and I may just show you my treasure myself. Akira."  
The name rolled off of his tongue smoothly as he leaned up and pressed a soft kiss against Akira's cheek before turning and leaving. Akira was completely still as he did, his heart thumping in his chest as he stared after the shadow. He wanted to chase him, ask him more, ask why he kissed him. But he couldn't. He was stuck staring as he left... He only moved when Makoto asked if he was okay, a small wheeze leaving his lips before he suggested they regroup back at LeBlanc. The others shared a look before agreeing, not saying anything as Akira's cheeks stayed flushed.


	3. Ludum consilium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title means "Game plan".

Akira couldn't sleep that night. After they had returned to LeBlanc, the team had discussed how they could show Mishima that they cared without it being too weird. At first, no one had any ideas, but Haru eventually suggested that Akira should invite him places, supposedly for Phantom business, before making it so they were just hanging out. And every once in a while, one of the others could join and make Mishima think he was appreciated. It seemed like a good plan, so they all agreed to do it before they went home. Yet, hours later, Akira couldn't sleep. He felt guilty for how the shadow had made him feel, but he knew he couldn't help it, not really. The shadow was just Mishima, even if his heart was distorted. And Akira could understand why. After so long of everyone hurting him, pushing him down, using him, Mishima had grabbed onto the one good thing that came into his life and it twisted him, changed him... Akira couldn't blame Mishima. Instead, he blamed himself for never realising, noticing, seeing, for being too wrapped up in himself and his need to hide his feelings. He hated that he hadn't noticed, hadn't stepped in before it got that bad, but it was too late. All he could do was prove he cared to Mishima, so his shadow would show them where the treasure was. He knew it was different from the other palaces they had dealt with, but it was Mishima. Their biggest fan, the person dealing with hate because he still believes in them, the one most hurt from their downfall...  
"You can't blame yourself." Morgana piped up, moving so he was sat on Akira's chest, "It's not your fault."   
"I should have seen that something was wrong sooner," Akira argued, looking out at the moon. It was full and reminded him of Mishima. The bluenette was Akira's moon, usually hidden by darkness, obstructed by those around him or his own insecurities. He could be so bright and beautiful, but it was so rare to see him truly relax... He was a light in the dark, inconsistent but stunning as he constantly changed, evolved, grew... Except, now he was a new moon. He was lost to the darkness of his own heart, corrupted in a way he didn't even know...  
Akira sighed and settled in for a long, sleepless night.  
-=-=-=-=-=  
The next day was Monday, so Akira decided to start on the plan then. The sooner the better, he thought as he walked over to Mishima at the end of the day. The bluenette was typing away at his phone, and Akira caught a quick glimpse of red and black before his presence distracted Mishima.  
"Oh! Kurusu! Hi! Can I help you?" he spoke quickly, siling up at Akira. The taller teen felt his heart skip a beat but ignored that in favour of asking if Mishima could go with him to Shibuya, stating that he had heard something about rumours about a potential target. Mishima agreed readily, already babbling about how he hadn't heard anything, but if it was a good lead he would look into it more. They walked into the centre of town, where Akira led Mishima to the arcade, claiming that that was where he'd heard about the target.  
"We should play a few games, so we don't stand out," Akira suggested, and Mishima hesitated. He bit his lip, frowning slightly as he seemed to examine Akira. The taller teen froze slightly under Mishima's dark gaze, having to fight the blush that wanted to climb his cheek as he stared down at the bluenette. They were quiet for a long moment until Mishima sighed, tilting his head to the side.  
"There's no target," he surmised, and Akira almost winced. He hadn't expected Mishima to see through his act. Although, the other teen was a lot smarter than anyone seemed to realise, so he should have... Akira heaved a sigh, nodding as he muttered out an excuse.  
"I wanted to hang out with you, but you only ever seem to want to talk about the Phansite..." the half-lie dripped from his lips easily. Akira did want to just spend time with Mishima, and the other teen did only want to about the Phansite, so it wasn't a total lie. Mishima frowned though, seemingly doubtful as to what Akira meant as he analysed the taller teen. He knawed at his lip for a long moment, tilting his head to the side, before speaking up.  
"Why?" he asked, tone absolutely baffled, and Akira felt his heart squeeze. Mishima didn't understand that he wanted to be friends (and more, but that was beside the point)...  
"Because we're friends," Akira replied, shrugging slightly. Mishima frowned still, clearly not believing Akira. It made the taller's heart throb, even more, aching and broken for his smaller counterpart, so he continued, "At least, I thought we were..."  
"Why would you want to be friends with me?" Mishima asked, frown deepening as he watched Akira sceptically. The taller teen shrugged, smiling a little before replying.  
"Because you were one of the first people to be nice to me here, and you've stuck by me, even with everything that's happened recently..." he stated, stepping a little closer to Mishima as he tilted his head and let his tone become a little sad, "Don't... Don't you want to be friends?"  
"Of course I do! I just... figured you'd be able to find someone way cooler or something that you'd prefer to hang out with..." Mishima argued, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, and Akira knew he had him. The taller teen hated that he'd had to manipulate Mishima, but he needed to...  
"I like hanging out with you," he stated, ignoring how his heart skipped a beat as Mishima blushed, "I wanted to ask sooner, but... work got in the way, and you seem uncomfortable around my other friends, so I didn't want to push you to hang out with them..."  
"You want me to hang out with your friends?" Mishima's voice was surprised and as he stared up at Akira, mouth slightly agape. The taller teen smiled and nodded, prompting Mishima to smile so brightly Akira feared for his eyesight (seriously. It was like looking directly into the sun. So. Fucking. Pure...) as he continued, "Well... I don't know if I'm ready to hang out with them just yet... Not all at once..."  
"We can just hang out for now, if you'd prefer. Then we can hang out with one or two of the others until you're comfortable to hang with all of us..." Akira suggested, not believing how easy it was to get Mishima to hang out with them. It wasn't quite the original plan, but it was working better, so...  
"I... I don't want to be a bother..." Mishima tried to argue, but he clearly didn't want Akira to retract his suggestion, so the taller teen smiled and said he was never a bother. The bluenette hesitated before smiling again, agreeing and suggesting they play something. Akira smiled and nodded, leading Mishima over to the claw machines, certain he could win the other a teddy bear...


	4. Non diem

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's homophobia in this chapter! If you don't want to read that, skip past the line that kinda look like -=-=-=. All you'd miss is cute boys and Mishima standing up to a homophobe. And teddies.  
> Title means "Not a date".

Turns out, Akira couldn't win at the claw machines. Mishima could, though, so the taller teen left the arcade with a soft blue teddy bear cuddling a small, smiling moon. It reminded Akira of Mishima so much that his heart skipped a beat... He did win Mishima enough tickets from the gun game for him to buy a small black and grey cat plushie from the ticket booth, so he was okay with that. The pair left the arcade together, chatting as they walked down to the train station and waited for their trains.  
"You were so good at that game! But you could have used your tickets on yourself... Not that I'm not grateful! I am! This plushie is so cute... But you should have used that money on yourself!" Mishima rambled (adorably) as he looked up at Akira, an almost pout adding a little depth to his lips... Akira ignored that as he smiled, rolling his eyes.  
"You got me my bear, it was only fair that I got you something..." he countered, his heart skipping a beat as Mishima smiled sweetly up at him.  
"I guess you're right..." the bluenette mumbled, clutching his plushie in his left hand. Akira smiled down at him, but someone shoving him almost made him fall. Mishima caught him, frowning as he checked if he was okay, but Akira was too distracted by the person who had pushed him.  
"Fucking gays," the woman almost snarled, glaring at the teen boys. Akira felt his blood thrum in his veins, but Mishima spoke up before he could.  
"Madam, may I remind you that homophobia is a criminal offence? And that there are witnesses... You wouldn't want to get in trouble with the law for incorrectly assuming two friends are dating, would you now? Not that there would be an issue if we were more than friends. After all, it would be none of your business." the bluenette stated, moving around and in front of Akira. His tone was sickly sweet as he looked up at the woman, who was glaring at him. He, however, did not flinch under her evil stare, continuing instead, "Ma'am, were you aware that many homophobic people are only that way because they are insecure about their own sexuality? Are you insecure?"  
The woman scoffed but left, so Akira counted that as a win. He looked down at Mishima, who was glaring after the woman, and smiled fondly. After a long moment, Mishima turned to face him, scowling.  
"Fucking homophobes," he snarled, and the sheer amount of venom in his voice surprised Akira. The emotion must have shown on his face, because, a second later, Mishima continued in his normal voice, "Um... I didn't mean to get so angry! I just... I hate homophobes. It makes no sense to hate someone for something they can't change about themselves, you know?"  
Akira smiled and nodded, causing Mishima to relax. The bluenette looked like he wanted to speak again, but Akira's train pulling up stopped him. He hesitated before smiling and telling Akira that he'd see him tomorrow. Akira hesitated, wanting to ask Mishima to go to LeBlanc, but he knew that may have been too much... Instead, he smiled and squeezed Mishima's shoulder kindly before getting on the train. He stood near a window, watching Mishima disappear as the train pulled out...  
-=-=-=--==--==--==-=-=-=--==--==--==  
Akira walked into LeBlanc, only to be greeted by the sight of Futaba and Sojiro talking. He sighed, already knowing what was going to happen...  
As soon as she spotted him, she was on her feet and talking, "Akira! How did your mission go?"  
Akira walked closer, a fake smile tugging at his lips. It wasn't that he was upset with Futaba, but he hated having to lie to Mishima, hated that he hadn't realised what was happening until too late, hated himself for letting Mishima fall down the rabbit hole...  
"He figured that there wasn't a target, but I managed to convince him that I had lied because I wanted to hang out but he only ever wanted to talk if it was to do with our extracurricular activities. He agreed to hang out with me more, and one or two of you guys until he is comfortable with all of you," he replied, sitting at the bar and opening his bag so Morgana could leave it. The cat pulled the bear Mishima had won Akira out, smirking at the teen.  
"They got each other prizes at the arcade!" he cooed, nuzzling the bear until Akira pulled it away from him. The teen blushed a little when Futaba smirked.  
"Mishima won that for you, huh?" her voice was nothing short of teasing as she looked down at the little bear, "Did you win him anything?"  
Akira blushed brighter and glared at the smaller girl, but Sojiro echoed the question (although, he was more curious than mirthful) so he replied with a quiet affirmative. Futaba grinned, but Sojiro cut her off before she could continue her teasing.  
"Why'd you call Akira's date a mission?" he asked the ginger girl, and Akira's blush darkened about ten shades as he ducked his head, embarrassed.  
"It wasn't a date," he mumbled, his heart squeezing a little at the reminder that he didn't actually stand a chance with Mishima, "I... Mishima is my friend, the one with a palace..."  
Sojiro made an understanding noise, not pressing and Akira took the coffee he had made him with a sigh. The teen was visibly despondent, and the older man had no idea what to do or say. He glanced at Futaba, who looked just as out of her depth as he felt, so he decided to change the topic.  
"You wanna help with making dinner, kid?"  
Akira smiled at the obvious shift, not saying anything as he nodded. He hated that he'd let Mishima fall down the rabbit hole, but he knew he could help. He knew that Mishima's beloved Phantom Thieves could save him...


	5. Infesta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means "A bad day".

That night, Akira texted the group chat to inform the others of his change of plans. They all agreed, saying it worked best, but a text from someone other than the chat caught Akira's attention. Mishima. Akira frowned at the influx of messages from the bluenette before clicking on his contact.  
 **Mishima: I hate to be a bother but I need to talk.**  
 **Mishima: You live at that cafe, LeBlanc, right? It's really important. Can I come see you?**  
 **Mishima: It's okay if I can't.**  
 **Mishima: I shouldn't have asked. Shit. I'm sorry ignore me please its nothing im sorry**  
The sudden deterioration of Mishima's texting made Akira's heart thump in his chest as anxiety filled him.  
 _Me: Do you need directions?_  
 **Mishima: No ill be there soon**  
Akira had to fight the urge to just go out and find Mishima as he jumped up from his bed. Morgana made an annoyed noise, but one look at Akira's face made him shut up as the teen rushed down the stairs. When there, Akira unlocked the door quickly and hesitated. He didn't know what to do, or what was wrong or how he could help Mishima - coffee. Coffee would distract him while he waited for the smaller teen, and give Mishima something to calm down with when he arrived. He worked efficiently, so much so that he finished before Mishima arrived, so he sat sipping his drink and watching the door. As soon as he saw Mishima appear by the door (ten minutes after his last message and still in his school clothes with his bag), Akira was on his feet and letting the smaller teen.  
"Are you alright?" he asked, leading Mishima over to the counter. The bluenette was shivering, drenched from the storm that was raging outside, and Akira internally cursed himself for not realising as he quietly continued, "Would you like me to get you a towel?"  
Mishima nodded, and his silence worried Akira. He ignored his concern in favour of walking quickly up the stairs, grabbing the first clean towel he found and returning as quickly he could. Mishima had shed his coat, and the short-sleeved t-shirt he wore revealed something that made Akira's heart stop. Bruises and scars littered the skin, creating a twisted painting...  
Mishima must have heard him and realised what he was staring at, since he tucked his arms behind his back and turned to face him. Akira picked up on how uncomfortable he was, so he forced himself to smile and put the towel on the counter before speaking, "Do you need some clothes? Since you're soaked."  
Mishima visibly hesitated before nodding and Akira smiled softly at him before going upstairs. He had to search for something that wouldn't completely drown Mishima's smaller frame but was back on the main floor within five minutes.  
"You can change in the bathroom or in my room. Whichever you're most comfortable with," he stated, leaving the clothes on the counter before gesturing towards the rooms in questions. Mishima hesitated, visibly uncomfortable, so Akira walked behind the counter and turned, fiddling with the coffee machine. He listened carefully, but not even a moment later he heard the rustle of fabric and the creaking of stairs. He sighed and hesitated, but Morgana jumping up onto the counter next to him distracted him.  
"Is he okay?" the cat asked, and Akira shrugged. Mishima didn't look okay, but Akira didn't know what was wrong or how he could help. But those scars... They didn't look unintentional, that's for sure. They looked oddly familiar...  
Akira rubbed his own wrist absentmindedly, frowning, before pulling out his phone. He hesitated. He knew that Mishima needed help -anyone with eyes could see that- but he couldn't just talk to his friends about that. It felt wrong, like he would be betraying Mishima's trust... He-  
Mishima appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and Akira's heart stopped. The smaller teen looked so soft in Akira's clothes and his hair was still damp, curling a little... Akira ignored how his cheeks felt a little warmer than usual in favour of smiling slightly at Mishima and passing him his coffee.  
"I wasn't sure how you like it, but please say if it's not good," he stated as Mishima took the cup, a strained smile on his face. They were both quiet for a long moment, sipping on their drinks, until Mishima sighed and sat in one of the booths. Akira slid into the seat opposite him, watching him closely. The bluenette obviously wanted to say anything, but he seemed to be struggling. Akira almost spoke up, almost encourage him, but Mishima whispered first.  
"I'm sorry..." his voice was soft, scared, and his eyes were downcast. Akira's heart ached for the smaller teen, but he couldn't do much, so he just gingerly reached out and placed a hand on Mishima's. He smiled reassuringly when he had the bluenette's eyes on him, and Mishima seemed to hesitate before sighing, relaxing slightly as he spoke again, "I was nearby and... Well... I needed to be away from home for a while, so I just... thought of coming here. Since I knew you were in the area..."  
"The door's always open if you need it to be..." Akira stated, voice soft but firm. Mishima blinked in surprise before smiling slightly, cheeks a little bit pink.  
"Thanks..." he muttered, sipping from his coffee. That made the atmosphere shift slightly, from tense to soft. Akira knew he needed to ask Mishima what was wrong, how he could help, what he needed, but he also knew that it'd be rushing the smaller teen, pressuring him. Akira didn't want to do that. Ever. So he stayed silent. Mishima didn't seem to have anything to say for a long moment, eyes focused on the rain rushing outside the window, but he did eventually speak up.  
"Storms are just so peaceful..." he muttered, and Akira had to agree. There was something about the rain stuttering against the roof, the lightning adding a flash of colour to the night sky, the thunder rumbling distantly... It was truly calming. If you were indoors, at least. He told Mishima as much, and the bluenette smiled at him.  
"Exactly." he stated, tilting his head to the side and focusing on Akira, "You know, Kurusu, you're a really good guy. It's been a while since anyone was this nice to me..."  
Akira felt his cheeks flush at the compliment, but his mind was a little too focused on Mishima's last sentence to properly consider it. If it had been a while since anyone was nice to Mishima, what about his parents? Were they not nice? It could have explained why they had never reported Kamoshida's obvious abuse. And why Mishima never seemed to have lunch. And why he always seemed so scared of adults... Akira ignored that in favour of smiling softly at Mishima. He knew he couldn't ask anything about the smaller teens parents, as it would like freak Mishima out, so he changed topic just a little.  
"It doesn't seem like the storm will be letting up any time soon... And it's really late... It may be best if you stay here tonight," he commented, and Mishima blinked in surprise before shaking his head, excuses rolling off of his tongue.  
"N... No! I couldn't... I don't... I'll just be a bother, it's okay Kurusu-"  
"I'm okay with you staying. I'd need to ask Sojiro, to make sure it's okay, but if it is you can stay. If it's not an issue with your parents, that is..." the dark look that crossed Mishima's face fleetingly at Akira's last sentence made the taller teen that much more sure that Mishima's parents weren't good, but he didn't say anything else as the bluenette stopped to consider it. He hesitated, but a particularly bright flash of lightning promptly followed by the loudest rumble of thunder so far had him deciding.  
"I... If I'm not a bother..." he muttered, and Akira smiled, pulling out his phone.  
"I thought I told you that you're never a bother?" he teased a little before sobering up, "I'll ask Sojiro, then you'll have to ask your parents."  
Mishima nodded, so Akira pulled up Sojiro's contact. The older man picked up on the second ring, grumbling slightly.  
"A friend's in the area and no more trains are running in his direction. Is it okay if he stays the night at LeBlanc?" Akira got straight to the point. He could hear Futaba ask Sojiro what was up on the other end of the phone, but he ignored her in favour of focusing on Sojiro's answer. The older man seemed to hesitate before sighing and agreeing, reminding Akira not to cause any problems before ending the call. The teen smiled slightly as he put his phone away before focusing on Mishima.  
"He said it's okay." he stated, and the bluenette relaxed. Akira couldn't help but wonder why Mishima seemed so reluctant to go home, but he ignored that in favour of continuing, "Have you had anything to eat?"  
Mishima hesitated before shaking his head, mouth already open to let loose an excuse, but Akira cut him off with a firm, "I'll make you something to eat while you contact your parents."  
Mishima wanted to argue, but Akira was on his feet in an instant, already behind the counter. The bluenette rolled his eyes fondly and pulled out his phone. He seemed hesitant, so Akira suggested he went to his bedroom and made the call there. Mishima smiled and nodded, leaving as Akira started to put together a quick dinner. It wasn't much -he just cooked off some chicken, made the quickest sauce he could and chucked some rice on, all just enough for one person- and he was done before Mishima came down. It seemed weird for the bluenette to take so long, so Akira went up to get him, freezing at what he saw. Mishima. Crying. Sat on the sofa, visibly upset and tears running down his face, silent sobs wracking his shoulders. Akira's heart froze in his chest, but he forced himself forward. The floor creaking under his weight made Mishima tense, but he relaxed slightly when he saw it was Akira. Although, he did try to hide his tears and force down his sobs. Akira wasn't about to let that stand, so he moved nearer and sat next to Mishima. The bluenette seemed surprised by the action but didn't fight it when Akira pulled him into a gentle hug. If anything, the hug broke down the last of his walls, if the way his sobbing became that much more violent was anything to go by.  
Tenderly, Akira stroked Mishima's hair, petting it and rubbing his back soothingly. The bluenette didn't show any signs of calming any time soon, so Akira started to mumble quietly to him, "It's okay. I've got you. You're okay. You're safe..."  
He let the words fall from his lips like a waterfall, the stream as constant as the concern filling his head. He kept it up until Mishima's tears had stopped falling and his sobs had stopped wracking his body, waiting until the smaller teen was breathing steadily before asking if he wanted to talk about it. The way Mishima tensed made him say that he didn't need to if he didn't want to, and the bluenette relaxed again. They stayed like that, curled around each other, for a while, but Mishima pulled away eventually, rubbing his face to clear the tears. Akira didn't say anything, leaving his hand on Mishima's back to reassure him. It took a few more minutes, but the bluenette was eventually calm enough to speak.  
"S... Sorry. I... It's been a bad day," he whispered, shivering slightly, and Akira had to fight the urge to pull him into another hug.  
"It's okay. Everyone gets those days," Akira murmured smiling softly at Mishima. The bluenette seemed to hesitate before smiling tiredly back, muttering a quiet 'thank you'. Akira nodded, glancing at the clock he'd recently set on his desk, and deciding Mishima really needed to eat.  
"I made you dinner. Why don't you go eat?" he suggested, but Mishima seemed unwilling to be alone, if the way he tensed again was anything to go by, so he continued, "I've already eaten, but I'll sit with you, if you'd like."  
Mishima relaxed at that, smiling and nodding. Akira smiled back and stood, leading the smaller teen down the stairs. One thought was on his mind, however.  
 _Who the fuck hurt Mishima? I'll kill them..._


	6. Bonum mane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means "Good morning".

Akira woke up after Mishima, the next morning, blinking in surprise when he saw the bluenette typing away at his phone. He must have made some sort of noise because Mishima looked up, spooked, before smiling shyly.  
"Good morning..." he spoke quietly, timidly, and something about how soft he seemed in the morning light made Akira's sleepy brain turn to mush. The taller teen groaned, turning and shoving his face into his pillow. Mishima's soft, tinkling laughter danced through the air, making Akira's heart skip a beat. Mishima was too pretty for him to handle half asleep. Too pretty...  
"Kurusu?" the object of Akira's affections spoke up hesitantly, "Um... You need to get up for school..."  
Akira groaned again before turning onto his back and sitting up. He must have had some sort of look on his face because Mishima was visibly forcing himself not to laugh. Pouting slightly, Akira sent the bluenette a questioning look.  
"I... Uh... Your hair..." Mishima muttered, covering his mouth to cover his giggles. Akira reached up, brushing a hand through his hair, although it must have just made it worse, if the way Mishima started to laugh properly was anything to go by. Akira's heart fluttered as he forced the blush that was creeping up his cheeks down, unused to hearing such a sound escaping from Mishima. In the soft morning sunlight, everything seemed... easy. Akira lost his edges, Mishima dropped his guard, the shadows of the past seemed long gone... At least, until Sojiro shouted up the stairs.  
"Akira! You and your friend need to come down for breakfast soon, or you'll have to leave without it!" he yelled, and the atmosphere shattered. Mishima cringed at the sound of Sojiro's voice before standing and stretching.  
"I... Uh... I'll go change in the bathroom," he muttered, but Akira spoke up before he had the chance to leave.  
"We can both change up here," he didn't even think before he spoke, and his brain screamed at him for that as he continued, "We've both changed in the changing rooms at school, so changing now wouldn't be any different, right?"  
Mishima hesitated for a moment, but Sojiro yelling up at them to hurry had him coming to a decision. He nodded silently, grabbing his clothes from where they'd been drying on the radiator and moving over to the sofa. Akira slowly got out of bed, collecting his clothes but keeping an eye on Mishima. They both seemed to hesitate, watching each other awkwardly, until Mishima sighed. He visibly steeled himself before turning around and tugging the bed shirt he'd borrowed off of Akira in one smooth motion. Akira almost chocked on his own spit at the sight of Mishima bare back. The skin, pale and mottled with scars, pulled tight over layers of muscle... Akira knew he'd seen Mishima shirtless before (he'd seen him in swimming trunks for Pete's sake!) but something about seeing him like this, after being so vulnerable and with the golden morning light giving his skin an ethereal glow... It made Akira's gut burn. Mishima pulling on his shirt made the taller teen turn and whip off his own shirt. With slightly shaky hands, he grabbed his school shirt and dragged it over his head quickly. Hesitating, he risked a glance at Mishima, and almost choked again. The bluenette was halfway through pulling his school trousers up, and that view... Akira had to look away before he had a problem, but the image of those supple thighs was burned into his memory. And that ass... Akira forced himself not to think of that as he tugged down his bed trousers, changing into his school ones swiftly. Mishima was already finished changing by then, somehow having managed to put his shoes and socks on without Akira noticing, and was waiting awkwardly. He seemed unsure what to do as he folded the clothes he'd borrowed neatly, tucking him into a corner of the sofa and sitting as Akira slid his jacket over his shoulders, buttoning it quickly. He then slipped his shoes and socks on, grabbing his bag and smiling at Mishima. The smaller teen smiled back, grabbing his bag and coat before following Akira down the stairs. Once there, Sojiro looked up, nodding at the pair before nodding at the coffees and curries he'd put on the counter.  
"Eat up," he ordered, missing the look of surprise that danced across Mishima's face for a split second. Akira didn't miss it, and his heart ached for the smaller teen. Such a small act of kindness surprised him? It was almost like he didn't expect to be fed... That thought struck something in Akira and he realised that it was quite probable that Mishima hadn't expected to be allowed to eat, and it made Akira consider how bad his parents were once more... Mishima stepping forward and bowing to Sojiro stole Akira's attention (even if it was just a certain... feature of the other teen that was accentuated by the action that distracted Akira).  
"Hello, Sir. I am Mishima Yuuki. Thank you for allowing me to stay, and for the meal," Mishima stated, standing from his bow, even as he kept his head ducked. Sojiro blinked in surprise at the name, but one look from Akira told him not to say anything. The older man seemed to hesitate before siling slightly.  
"No problem kid. Not your fault the trains stopped running," he stated, and Mishima smiled shyly at him before sitting in front of the coffee and curry closest to the door. Akira followed, sitting by the other meal and tucking in. Mishima was more hesitant to start, but he ate too. He hummed, pleased, when he took the first bite of his curry.  
"This is excellent, Sir," he stated before returning to his food. Sojiro raised an eyebrow at his manners but didn't say anything, humming a note of agreement before grabbing the coffee he'd made for himself and taking a sip. The trio were completely silent until the teens were finished, when they both thanked Sojiro.  
"It's nothing," the older man said, rubbing his neck slightly, "You two should get going soon."  
The teens agreed, standing and grabbing their bags. Mishima tugged his coat on quickly before grabbing his bag, smiling shyly at Akira, who had had to wait for Morgana to jump into his bag.  
"You ready to go?" the bluenette asked, tilting his head to the side adorably. Akira nodded, smiling down at his friend before calling over his shoulder ay Sojiro, saying that Ryuji, ann and the others were popping by later. Sojiro got the memo, nodding and agreeing. Akira refocused on Mishima, catching the tail end of a dark look before the smaller forced himself to smile. He walked ahead of Akira and opened the door, allowing the taller teen to go first before following and falling into step with him. They were both silent for a while, neither sure what to say, until Mishima spoke up quietly.  
"I.. Uh... About last night... Pl... Please don't tell anyone..." he seemed hesitant, scared, and Akira's heart squeezed. The other teen was so... hurt by society, more than Akira knew probably, and he didn't trust anyone...  
"Of course I won't," Akira stated, and that made Mishima relax. He smiled slightly, nodding before falling quiet again. They stayed like that for the rest of the journey to school, only speaking when they got to their homeroom and separated. Once they did, Akira went directly to his seat. Sitting down, he was tempted to hit his head on the desk, but Ann talking to him distracted him.  
"You walked in with Mishima?" she asked softly, tilting her head. Akira hesitated, unsure what he could say, before nodding.  
"He was near LeBlanc late last night, and the trains stopped running, so he stayed the night," he lied, shrugging as his eyes wandered to the blue teen in question. He seemed to be on his phone, typing away. probably the Phansite...  
"When are we meeting next?" Ann asked, stealing Akira's attention. The bespectacled teen stated that they'd be meeting after school, and Ann agreed. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Kawakami walking in had her shutting up and focusing on class. Akira sighed, settling in for a day of being distracted by a certain cute boy...


	7. Miseritque manum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'Reaching out'!

That evening, the Phantom Thieves met at LeBlanc. Akira had arrived first, obviously, before being quickly joined by Futaba, and eventually, the others trickled in, one by one. When everyone was there, the meeting could commence...

"So... How's Mishima?" Ann asked, and Futaba burst out laughing. Akira glared at the younger girl, cheeks flushing slightly when she smirked at him.

"He stayed here last night! I didn't listen on the entire conversation, but damn... Akira is so smitten!" she teased, smirk growing when Akira became even more flustered. The other teens reacted to that little tibet of information, but Morgana pipping up is what got the biggest reaction from them.

"They changed in the same room, and Akira had so much trouble keeping his eyes off Mishima!" he meowed, very pleased with himself when Akira became that much more embarrassed. In fact, the teen was so flustered that he groaned and hid his head in his arms. The others all laughed at him for a moment, but Makoto eventually got them back on track.

"Are we going to his palace today?" she asked, and the mood instantly sobered up. Akira pulled himself together before nodding and the others agreed. They all hesitated, but Akira eventually pulled out his phone, opening the app...

A few minutes later, the group found themselves in front of that large building, kept out by a series of security guards. As Akira looked around, hoping to find a secondary entrance, a commotion started up just inside the building. The sound set the Phantom Thieves on edge, and they became even tenser when Mishima's shadow walked out, followed by the cognitive versions of the Thieves. It was quiet for a moment as Mishima laid his eyes on the real Thieves, raising a surprised eyebrow before stepping forward. He was followed by cognitive Akira, who seemed... a hell of a lot less hostile than before...

"I'm surprised you're back so soon..." the shadow spoke up, standing directly in front of Akira, smiling slightly at the Thieves, "And I'm surprised at how nice you've been to the other me, Akira. Telling him that you want to be his friend? Excellent manipulation..."

"It's not manipulation if it's the truth," Akira found himself saying, unable to stop that little bit of truth escaping him. The shadow laughed, shaking his head slightly, with a twisted smile tugging at his lips. The sound was dark, dangerous... And that smile was an unusual mix of fondness, disbelief and anger.

"Oh, Akira..." the shadow practically purred, and Akira's cheeks flushed at the sound, "No one wants to be friends with  _ him _ . No one wants to be friends with  _ me _ , and I'm the better version of him. There's no need to lie... Not to me..."

Something dark welled up in Akira, hating how badly the shadow talked about himself (both as his shadowy self and as the real Mishima), but he didn't get the chance to speak up.

"How can we prove that we care?" Makoto asked, stepping forward. Shadow Mishima looked at her, tilting his head to the side as he examined her.

"You know, class president, I'm not sure. You see, after so long of people just wanting me for their own personal gain... I can't trust your intentions. Not even the real me can. I, this version of me, know that you're only pretending to care so that I will show you the way to my treasure, but the other me? Well, he just doesn't trust you. Any of you," he looked directly at Akira when he said that last sentence, and the taller teen felt his heart ache in his chest. He pushed that away, though, as he stepped closer to the shadow.

"How can  _ I _ show him that I care?" he asked softly, tilting his head to the side. The shadow visibly faltered before sighing and reaching up, cupping Akira's cheek. The taller teen froze at the touch, the shadow's hand cold and making something weird stir in Akira's chest, but forced himself to relax. It was just Mishima after all...

"You, Akira... You'd have the easiest job. You've already been so nice to him... And he cares for you. A lot. Much more than you know..." the shadow's voice was low, soft, thoughtful, as he gazed up into Akira's eyes. Again, the taller teen hated to see such a jarring gold replacing Mishima's usually kind, black eyes... He pushed the thought away as the shadow continued with a sigh, "I'm not sure how you could make him believe that, though. He knows that you're out of his league, that you only care because of the Phansite..."

"That's not true!" Akira argued, feeling something akin to rage boiling his blood. He cared for Mishima for so many reasons, his work for the Phansite didn't really matter! Even if the smaller teen stopped working on the site that very minute, Akira would still reach out, still seak him, still-

"How can we know that?" Mishima asked softly, something similar to sorrow dancing behind his eyes, "For so long, you only spoke to us -him- when you needed information on the Phansite. You've only really 'hung out' with him without the Phansite as a reason once, and that was after you found out about me..."

The shadow was right. It hurt to admit, but he was right. Akira hadn't reached out before, Mishima had always been the one to invite him out anywhere... The guilt that little revelation caused Akira must have shown on his face, because the shadow sighed and rolled his eyes, tilting his head as he stared up at Akira.

"You don't really care for him... Or me. And because of that, I'm afraid I can't show you to my treasure... Guards! Take them away," he pulled away from Akira as he finished talking, but Akira didn't let him get far. He grabbed the shadow's wrist as he removed his hand from his face, holding on as the shadow blinked in surprise.

"I do care," the taller teen whispered, eyes downcast as he moved his hand, gripping Mishima's in it tightly. The shadow's breath caught audibly, and Akira looked up at him. They stared at each other for a long moment, but the shadow forced Akira to let go. As he did, Akira felt a sudden change. He looked down, displeased to notice that his outfit had changed into his Thief gear...

"Go," the shadow growled, and Akira shivered at the sound, instantly refocused on the smaller, "You don't get to pretend to care for me! Especially not here, where the real me won't know! Prove you care about him!"

Akira tried to reach for the shadow again, but a guard appeared between them, forcing him to fight. And once the battle was over, Mishima had retreated back into the building... Akira wanted to keep going, to find the shadow, but Morgana pulling on his trousers stopped him.

"We should retreat for now," the cat stated, and Akira hesitated. He wanted to see the shadow, wanted to help him, but he knew Morgana was right... With one last, lingering look towards the door, he turned on his heel and headed towards the exit.


	8. Invidia et exempla monstrabit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is "Jealousy and models".

Akira couldn't sleep that night. He couldn't stop repeating the entire interaction with the shadow over and over again, considering what he could have done different, how he could help the real Mishima, how he could show how much he  _ cared _ without revealing his feelings... God, he hated having feelings for the bluenette. If it had been literally anyone else, it would have been easy. He could have flirted and seduced them, caught their attention and made a move. Or, if they didn't like him, he still could have told them and gotten over the inevitable rejection. But with Mishima... He couldn't just flirt. Mishima deserved so much better than that... And he'd almost definitely hate it. And Akira... Akira didn't even know if the other boy liked guys! Sure, he'd often commented on people of all genders, saying they were attractive-

Mishima called Akechi attractive. He'd repeatedly complimented the detective. Oh God. Akechi was more Mishima's type than Akira, wasn't he? Akira didn't stand a chance. Whatever adverse feelings Mishima may have had towards the older teen as a result of how he treated the Phantom Thieves could easily be negated if the detective flirted with him. Mishima would probably fall for that since he already obviously had some sort of interest in Akechi. What could Akira do? He didn't stand a chance! He-

"Stop thinking so loudly and go to sleep," Morgana grumbled, and Akira took a deep breath to settle himself. Right, he needed to sleep. if he got a good night of rest, he would be able to think more clearly. He'd be fine in the morning...

-=-=-=-=-=

Sleep seemed to elude Akira for most of the night, and he was out of it for most of the day. So much so, he messed up when asked a question! Morgana wasn't happy about that... However, during last period, his art teacher said something that woke him up properly.

"Okay students, for the next couple of weeks you will be working on group projects. It will be worth forty per cent of your art grade, so pay attention. For this project, you need to pair up. Do that now, then I'll tell you what you'll be doing." the teacher called out, and suddenly everyone was on their feet. Akira stood too, looking around the class for the person he wanted to work with...

"Akira, do you want to work together?" Ann asked, but Akira shook his head, gesturing towards where Mishima was standing at the back of the class, alone, watching to see if there was anyone he could work with... Ann nodded, seemingly understanding, and went off to find herself a partner. Which wasn't an issue, if the girls that swarmed her as soon as she turned away from Akira were anything to go by... focusing on the task at hand, Akira walked over to Mishima, who didn't spot him until he was right next to him.

"Do you want to work together?" Akira asked, voice purposefully hopeful but not pressuring. Mishima blinked in surprise before nodding shyly, a small smile tugging at his lips. Akira felt his cheeks heat up, but he forced that down as he led Mishima over to his desk. Ann seemed to pick up on his plan, agreeing to sit at her partner's desk, so he was able to turn her chair so that he and Mishima could face each other over Akira's desk. The bluenette seemed hesitant to take the seat, but he did so when he saw Ann sit with her partner. Silently, the pair of boys waited for their teacher to call for quiet, which he did not minutes later. Once everyone was settled, he spoke again.

"For this project, I will be assigning each pair a specific art form to look into. For example, I could assign you wildlife photography or surrealism. Ir depends. Now, send one person from each pair up to me so you can tell me who's with who and so I can give you an art form," he stated. Akira glanced at Mishima, who seemed tense and uncomfortable, so he stood up. Mishima looked up at him, tilting his head in a silent question, so he gestured towards the teacher before walking to the front of the room. The teacher blinked in surprise at him before asking who he was working with.

"Mishima," the teen replied, earning himself a startled eyebrow raise, but the teacher didn't question it, instead just saying that their project would be on... modelling and modelling photography. Akira couldn't help but think the choice would have been better suited to Ann, but he didn't argue, just taking the pieces of paper the teacher handed him and returning to his seat. Once there. he handed one to Mishima, and they both started to read. It seemed like an easy enough project - they had to create a portfolio of themselves and at least three other people modelling, with both of them having done some modelling and photography each... 

_ The main issues _ , Akira thought,  _ are that Mishima is probably camera shy, and I don't have a decent camera. Mishima might, but- _

"How do you feel about his task, Kurusu?" Mishima piping up suddenly cut off Akira's train of thought. The bluenette seemed... surprisingly happy with their task... Akira shrugged, and Mishima made a small humming sound. He looked back down at the sheet he held in his hand, frowning adorably, before speaking quietly, "This should be doable... Do you know anything about photography or modelling?"

Akira shook his head, so Mishima hummed again, pulling a pen out of his trouser pocket and jotting something down as he muttered quickly, "Okay. I've liked photography for years, so I know some stuff, but I've never used a model, so that'll be different... As for the modelling, we should be able to ask Takamaki, right? She might be willing to model for us, or maybe at least give us a few tips... Hopefully she would, at least. She probably would if you were the one to ask her... Although, we would still need at least two other models if we asked her... It would be best-"

The bell suddenly ringing made Mishima jump, and he frowned before looking back at his paper. He seemed to hesitate before his eyes moved to Akira, who froze, unsure as to what he could do when those gorgeous eyes were trained solely on him...

"I... We should brainstorm ideas separately. C... Could you ask Takamaki if she's willing to model for us? O... or at least give us a few pointers?" any confidence he'd had whilst talking about their work had abandoned him, and Akira couldn't help but feel like he needed to shower the smaller teen in love... Instead of doing that, he nodded and told Mishima that he'd text him later to tell him what Ann said and to tell him any ideas he'd come up with. The smaller teen agreed before heading to his desk, leaving Akira alone with his thoughts...


	9. Difficile est affectus

After school, Akira texted Ann to meet him at their usual diner. He headed there quickly, arriving before his friend. Once he was there, he sat in their usual booth, waiting... As soon as Ann was in sight, he gestured for her to walk over, which she did with no qualms.  
"Mishima and I have to do modelling and photography for our art project," he stated in lieu of an actual greeting, and Ann frowned too.  
"But... Why would the teacher give you two that? Wouldn't it have made more sense for me?" she asked, and Akira shrugged. They were both silent as Ann settled into the booth, but she spoke after a moment of consideration, "Okay. You wanted to meet to ask something?"  
"Can you model for us and give us a few pointers?" Akira asked, smiling slightly when Ann nodded.  
"Of course," the blonde replied, smiling, "Although, I really just do what I'm told to by my photographer..."  
Akira frowned at that, but a vaguely familiar face walking over distracted him. The other boy -Akiyama, maybe? That's what Akira thought his name was, at least- was scowling and glaring at Akira, and when he spoke it was more than a little annoyed, "Geeze, do you take everyone you date here? First Mishima, then that ginger girl, now this one? Don't you give a shit about any of the people you're fucking?"  
Akira blinked in surprise before blushing brightly, shaking his head and babbling for once, "No! That's not- I'm not- It's- I'm not dating any of them! I... I'm just friends with them!"  
"Bullshit," Akiyama growled, thrusting his hands into his pockets, "You're at least dating Mishima. I've seen the way you look at him. I don't give a shit about him or anything, but it's fucking wrong to cheat!"  
"Oh. My. God," came Ann's amused voice as she struggled to hold back giggles, "Akira isn't dating any of us! But he does want to date Mi-"  
"Ann!" Akira cut her off, and now she lost control, snorting with laughter as Akira turned bright red. Akiyama glanced between the pair as Akira buried his head into his arms, groaning about how Ann shouldn't just tell people about other people's crushes, before muttering out a quiet 'Oh. Uh. My mistake. I'll leave you be' and leaving. Akira continued to groan into his arms as Ann giggled at his misfortune. They both stayed like that for a long while, right until a waitress walked over and asked for their orders. Akira was too embarrassed to speak properly, so Ann ordered for them both, but once they both had their drinks Akira was ready to talk.  
"What tips could you give us?" he asked, and Ann paused to consider it as she took a long sip of her Frui-Tea. Akira waited for her, sipping at his coffee...  
"Lighting is a necessity," Ann eventually spoke up, frowning at her drink, "If your lighting is off, your photos are gonna suck. And maybe choose a theme? Like, love or friendship or promoting something? If you have a theme, you can base what you do on that, such as your poses, outfits, make-up, locations... Oh! And you need to think about..."  
Akira sighed, pulling out a notebook and pen as he started to jot down what Ann said. It was going to be a long afternoon...  
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=  
After hanging out with Ann all afternoon, Akira got a text from Mishima, asking if they could meet. He replied with an affirmative, so Mishima texted him a very familiar address...  
When he arrived at the Crossroads Bar, Akira was greeted by the sight of Mishima chatting to Lala. The pair seemed to be debating something...  
"Hey," Akira greeted, earning a surprisingly bright smile from Mishima.  
"Kurusu!" the bluenette's smile grew slightly as he gestured to the seat next to him, "I was just discussing our art project with Lala-chan. I had an idea, but I need to run it by both of you..."  
Akira made an interested noise, sitting on the stool next to Mishima and sending Lala a small, subdues smile. The barkeeper glanced between the pair, raising an eyebrow as she spoke up.  
"You two know each other?" she asked, placing a glass of what smelt like Pepsi in front of Akira and refilling Mishima's glass with what looked like some kind of juice. The bluenette in question nodded, explaining that they were classmates. Lala hummed understandingly before asking Mishima what his idea was, prompting the teen to smile brightly (and damn, was he cute when he smiled like that...) before jumping into his explanation.  
"For our project, we're supposed to be modelling and photographing models, yeah? Well, I was thinking that it would be a good idea to have a theme for the portfolio because then we'd have a better basis for our poses, outfits, locations, etc. And I started to brainstorm ideas as to what our theme could be as I went home. But at the train station, I ran into a man on a soapbox ranting a bunch of homophobic, transphobic etc. stuff, and figured that there aren't enough people trying to fight that idea. Then I remembered that our art teacher said a little while ago that the best art had some sort of meaning. I was thinking maybe something based on the Phantom Thieves would be cool, but as the public's opinion has shown, idols can be fleeting and temporary -although, I am still a Phan! But I figured that if we did something based on them we'd probably get loads of negative backlash- so I was thinking that maybe we could base our project on the LGBTQ+ community? I know quite a bit, but not everything, which is where you'd come in, Lala-chan. If we decide to do the community as our theme, you could give us more information and maybe be one of our models, if you'd like? Only if Akira wants to do that as our project, that is..." Mishima was so passionate throughout most of his speech, only losing confidence when he finished. Akira didn't want the bluenette to feel embarrassed or like his idea was bad, so he hummed an interested note and smiled slightly.  
"That sounds pretty good," he stated, his heart skipping a beat when Mishima smiled sweetly at him, "Do you have anything in mind in particular?"  
Mishima's smile became a fully-fledged grin as he nodded, pulling out his phone and opening his notes as he began to babble. Akira watched him fondly, blushing slightly when he noticed Lala smirking at him.  
"I don't have everything worked out, but it would be best if we got people actually in the community to model, you know? So Lala-chan and Takamaki could be potential options-"  
"You think Ann's part of the community?" Akira found himself asking, frowning when Mishima paused. The smaller teen tilted his head, frowning, before replying.  
"Well... I think she'd probably bisexual or something. I'm almost certain that she has a crush on Suzui, and she has dated guys before... Although, I might be wrong..." he stated, shrinking in on himself. Akira blinked in surprise before thinking about it. Ann was really fond of Suzui, possibly in a more than just friendly way...And she did blush whenever her friend was brought up... And she did seem to check out people other than just guys...  
"Huh. You might be right..." Akira muttered, pleasantly surprised. That made Mishima relax, smiling again as he picked up where he'd left off.  
"Anyway, Lala-chan and Takamaki would be potential options, but I'm not quite sure as to who our third option could be -although, it may be a good idea to have more than the three minimum required models, but we need to focus on getting at least three for now. And you may be an issue if we're using people who are actually part of the community, Kurusu... Not that you're bad or anything! We could just use you as an ally..." he trailed off, looking uncertain. Akira blinked in surprise before leaning forward, completely serious as he spoke just to Mishima.  
"What about me says heterosexual, and what can I do to change it immediately?" he asked, and then it was Mishima's turn to blink confusedly. The smaller teen tilted his head, seemingly struggling to understand what Akira meant, so the taller teen sat up straight and spoke again, "I'm panromantic and demisexual, Mishima."  
Mishima blinked again before nodding and smiling slightly, but Akira spoke before he could, "You said that I'd be an issue. Does that mean... you're part of the community?"  
"I'm queer," Mishima shrugged, acting nonchalant as he continued, even with his shoulders tense, "It's my preferred label..."  
"Okay. What ideas did you have for the project?" Akira replied, smiling encouragingly. Mishima hesitated before launching back into it, starting to ramble off ideas. Akira watched him, smiling fondly as his heart warmed...


	10. Et in oscula manus obumbratio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means "Shadows and a hand kiss"

The boys had stayed at Crossroads for a good few hours, chatting about their project until Lala told them to head home. They'd walked to the train station together, but after they split for their separate trains, Akira finally let out the drawn-out sigh he'd been holding since Mishima had revealed his sexuality. Most people would have been ecstatic to find out their crush could potentially be interested in their gender, but Akira? His heart ached as his mind supplied the idea that he could have stood a chance with Mishima, if the other teen wasn't already probably smitten with Akechi...

Akira forced those thoughts away as he finally got back to LeBlanc, smiling when he saw that Sojiro had left him out some food. He ate it quickly before heading up to his room. He went about his usual bedtime routine before settling in bed, pulling out his phone and typing out a quick message to Ann.

_ Me: We agreed to do a portfolio on the LGBT community _

He put his phone to silent before turning onto his side, sighing and gazing out of the window. The moon was out, uncovered and shining brightly. It was beautiful... Akira sighed, grabbing the teddy that Mishima had won for him and bringing it into his chest...

-=-=-=-=-=-=

When Akira got to school the next day, he was surprised to see Mishima stood near his desk, talking to Ann. The sight made something warm burst in his chest, especially when Mishima started to laugh... He walked over and sat down, greeting them both with a small smile. Mishima smiled back, the expression so much happier than usual (which made no sense. What had changed?).

"Kurusu! Hi! I was waiting for you because I had some ideas for our project, and I've got a few things to tell you about the site! But Takamaki and I got talking while I waited, and she gave me a few more ideas!" the bluenette stated. Akira tilted his head to the side, unable to fight it as a sentence fell from his lips.

"You're happier than usual this morning..." he commented, and he almost apologised for it, but Mishima blushing and smiling shyly made his heart jump into his throat and he was unable to speak.

"I... I just got some good news, that's all," Mishima muttered, tucking a strand of his hair behind his ear. Akira had to fight the urge to play with that hair, humming a note of understanding before asking Mishima was his ideas for the project were. The bluenette's smile grew as he began to ramble about his ideas. Akira had to admit, they were all pretty good. Even the ones Ann had suggested... Mishima only stopped listing off his potential plans when Kawakami walked in and told everyone to go to their desks. As soon as the other teen was at his seat, Akira sent Ann a pitiful look. She laughed before turning to face the front. Akira sighed and copied her, pouting to himself because Mishima was just too. Damn. Cute...

-=-=--=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When school finally finished for the day, Akira texted his friends to meet him at LeBlanc before heading there. When everyone was eventually there, it didn't take long for them to find themselves back at Mishima's palace and in front of his main building. This time, they were already in their Thieves clothes...

"We need to find another way in," Morgana stated, and Akira nodded as he examined the area around them, frowning before spotting something... He walked over, the team following him without a word, and realised what he'd seen. It was a tunnel of love... But what was surprising was that Mishima's shadow seemed to be walking out with... Cognitive Akira? The shadow and cognition froze when they saw the Phantom Thieves before the former smiled, leaving his cognition behind in favour of walking up to Akira.

"Well, this is a surprise," he stated, smirking slightly as he looked up at Akira, "Seems like you can't get enough of me..."

Akira cheeks flushed brightly, causing the shadow to chuckle slightly and reach up, gently cupping Akira's cheek in one hand. His hand was cold, almost icy, and that weird feeling from before rose up in Akira's chest again. It was almost a combination of fondness and disgust...

"You're doing well, with the other me..." Mishima muttered, eyes surprisingly soft. It was... odd, how little violence he used. Unsettling almost... The shadow's smirk returned to a small, warm yet dark smile as he continued, "He's actually starting to think you care. It's unnerving, how easy it is for you to tear down his walls... Although, you are the first person that's been kind to him in a very long time..."

Ignoring how the purring quality of the shadow's voice made him feel, Akira asked softly, "What about his parents?"

The shadow laughed mirthlessly at that, shaking his head and his voice came out bitter, "Oh, please. Those fuckers have never cared for him..."

Despite the fact that he already suspected as much, the admission made something in Akira burn bright, loathing making his blood boil. He didn't say anything for a moment, though, leaning into the hand on his cheek and reaching up to curl his own around it. He took a deep, calming breath before muttering, "Then they're idiots."

The shadow blinked in surprise before shaking his head, the action somehow both fond and kinda evil... He sighed, looking over at the rest of the Phantom Thieves. Akira followed his gaze, freezing when he saw his friends gaping at him. He could understand why they were so surprised -he had never acted so... soft around them before, and he certainly hadn't let anyone (let alone a shadow!) touch his face- but some small part of him was worried that they were judging him for liking Mishima, that they'd be weird about it and-

"As much as I enjoy you acting almost like you have feelings for me Akira, I think you should return to your girlfriend..." Mishima's shadow sighed, trying to pull away. Akira didn't let him, though, using his grip on his hand to interlink their fingers.

"I don't have a girlfriend..." he stated, carefully pulling Mishima's hand up and kissing the back of it, "And I don't want one."

The shadow blinked in surprise before blushing brightly, pulling away as he stuttered, "I... Uh... The other me thinks you're dating Niijima. P... Prove to him that you aren't a... and I... I'll show you a back way into my building..."

Akira hesitated before nodding, sending the shadow a small smile before stating that they'd be back, leading his friends back to the real world...


	11. Consilia et providendum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, in this fic Mishima's birthday is the 27th of December and Akira's is the 20th of January.  
> Title means plans and preperation.

For a while, the Phantom Thieves had no idea how they could show that Akira wasn't dating Makoto. They knew that they couldn't just tell Mishima that his assumption was wrong, but they had no idea how they could show him... Not until Ryuji suggested that they made Mishima think that Makoto was in a relationship with someone else. At first, Ann had shot down the idea, saying it was crazy, but Makoto was actually the one that thought it was a good idea. Her only issue was  _ who  _ she could pretend to date since, according to her at least, she was "too much of a lesbian to successfully fake date one of the boys". That left her with either Futaba, Ann or Haru as her options, but Akira pointing out that Mishima thought Ann had a crush on Shiho, which would have thrown a spanner into the works. Ann had tried to argue against Mishima's assumption, but Futaba pipping up and saying that she wasn't subtle shut her up. The ginger went on to say that she was too young for Makoto, which put her out of the running and left them with just Haru... Thankfully, the petit girl agreed, even as she remained oblivious to Makoto's blush. After that, they just needed a plan as to how they'd show Mishima that Haru and Makoto were 'dating', but Ryuji was able to suggest another surprisingly decent idea...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

A few days later, Akira walked over to Mishima's desk at the end of the school day, ready to enact their plan.

"Hey, Mishima," he greeted, earning himself a smile and 'hello!' from the bluenette, "I was wondering if you'd like to go to that travelling fair that's in town with me." 

Mishima blinked in surprise before stuttering, "I... Uh... Sure! When do you want to go?"

"Sunday would probably be best..." Akira suggested, leaning against Mishima's desk as the older teen stood from his seat. Mishima seemed to consider it before nodding to himself and smiling.

"I have plans for that evening, but I'll be free for the rest of the day! Why are we going? Is it Ph-"

"I just want to hang out with you," Akira cut him off, hating how he had to lie. Mishima blushed as they started to walk out of the class, ducking his head and muttering a quiet 'Okay'. Akira had to hold in a sigh as his crush started to babble about when and where they should meet up, gut flipping at the thought of going to the fair with Mishima. It was almost like a date... When the pair got to the train station, they'd agreed on a plan, falling silent as they waited for their respective trains. Mishima's arrived first, leaving Akira alone with his thoughts...

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

When Sunday finally rolled around, Akira found himself worrying. He knew that it wasn't a date, that he was just trying to prove to Mishima that he wasn't dating Makoto, that the other teen would  _ never see him that way- _

"What's got you so worked up, kid?" Sojiro asked and Akira tapped his thigh, eyes flicking over to his phone every few seconds as he tried to eat his breakfast. He was struggling, nerves twisting and turning in his gut, making it impossible to eat...

"I'm taking Mishima to the travelling fair..." Akira stated, eyes returning to his phone once more.

"Isn't he the one you said has a castle or whatever?" Sojiro asked, leaning against the counter as he dried up a cup. Akira nodded, forcing down a spoonful of curry, and Sojiro frowned before questioning, "Why are you taking him to the fair?"

"To change his heart, I need to get closer to him. His shadow -the literal embodiment of his distorted desires, which is what created his castle- said that actual Mishima thinks I'm dating Makoto, but if I can prove I'm not, he'll show us how to get into his palace properly," the teen replied before finally finishing his breakfast (although, with the way his stomach was rolling? It was uncertain as to how long he'd be able to keep it down...). Sojiro looked very confused, so Akira sighed and tried again, "When one has a particularly distorted desire or thought, it can create a palace. A palace is a place that exists in their consciousness only, a place that can be only entered using the Meta Navigator, which we all have. In the palace, we have to steal a 'treasure', which is just the manifestation of what caused the person to become distorted. When trying to find the treasure, we need to find a way into the place, which can occasionally be difficult. Mishima's shadow told us that, if we can prove that I'm not dating Makoto to the real Mishima, he'd show us a way into his palace."

Sojiro hesitated for a moment before sighing and stating, "I don't really get it, but if it's what helps your friend, do what you must. Although, I'm not sure how taking him to the fair will do that..."

"So we can prove I'm not dating Makoto, we're pretending she's dating Haru," Akira explained, earning a small noise of understanding from his guardian. For a long moment, it was silent, Sojiro making sure the cafe was ready for opening time and Akira sipping on his coffee, but Ann suddenly appearing by the door startled them both. She knocked, waiting as Akira got up and unlocked the door to let her in. As soon as she was, she focused on Akira, dragging him the stairs and calling to Sojiro to tell him that she was kidnapping Akira to make sure he looked good enough. The older man chuckled and yelled to say that was okay, but Akira was already being shoved onto his couch as Ann pulled all of his clothes out and put them on his bed. He blinked in surprise, everything happening too fast for him to register, but Ann was already forcing him to his feet and holding his clothes up against his body. Akira didn't even try to fight it, staying silent as Ann picked out an outfit for him. In the end, she settled on his tightest black jeans, a simple and tight grey tee, and Akira's one leather jacket (it was nice, okay? And he looked good in it), stating that the look was enough to catch Mishima's attention without being too much. She then headed downstairs, ordering Akira to change into the outfit and put on his trainers before following her. The teen sighed but did as he was told. Once he was dressed, he had to admit that it was a good choice... Heading downstairs, he was greeted by the sight of Ann chatting away with Sojiro, but once his presence was known, they both focused on him. It was silent for a moment as they judged his look before Ann jumped to her feet, messing with his hair and talking quickly.

"Perfect! You just need to make sure your hair stays a good combination of messy and cute! You-"

"Ann, it's not a date," Akira reminded the girl, earning a small huff of laughter from the girl.

"It could be if you try hard enough," she stated, and Akira sighed. He opened his mouth to say that Mishima would never feel that way towards him, but his phone dinging distracted him. He walked over, smiling a little at what he saw.

** Mishima: I'll see you soon! **

Akira's heart fluttered in his chest before he sent a quick text back, just saying 'cya', and refocused on Ann.

"He doesn't see me that way," he said. The girl looked like she wanted to argue, so he cut her off with a firm, "We need to focus on our mission."

"You can't just shove your feelings aside Ak-"

"I can, and I will," Akira interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Ann before checking the time and sighing, "I need to catch the train. I'll text you about how it goes."

With that, he left the cafe...


	12. simul in unum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means time together

Akira arrived at the meeting spot before Mishima, so leaned against a wall and took out his phone. As he waited, he scrolled through his Tumblr feed, liking and reblogging the occasional post... The sound of his name made him look up, and his mouth instantly dried up at what he saw. Mishima. In really,  _ really  _ snug blue jeans, a skintight white t-shirt and a light denim jacket. Looking unfairly hot. Akira forced himself to swallow as he smiled at the older teen, who was now standing right in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted, earning a small smile from Mishima, "What do you want to do first?"

"Uh... Can we go on a ride? Maybe? If you want to... We don't need to-"

"Which one?" Akira asked, starting to walk onto the fairground. Mishima was quick to fall into step beside him, suggesting that they fork out for those wristbands that cost like 4,000 yen that allow them to ride, play games and get food for just the price of the band. Akira agreed, and they walked over to where the bands were being sold. Once they both had their bands, Mishima silently led Akira over to the line for the only rollercoaster at the fair before asking if it was okay to ride it. Akira agreed, smiling. Because it was fairly early and the fair had already been in town for a few days, so had lost its charm, the line was surprisingly short, and the pair soon found themselves on the ride. They'd managed to score a seat right at the front, smiling as they settled in. Akira's smile soon dropped as the coaster started up, the feeling of them climbing towards the sky... not great. Mishima seemed to pick up in his change of mood instantly, frowning and gently grasping Akira's arm.

"You okay?" he asked, barely audible over the sound of the coaster, the wind and someone already screaming. Akira tried to force himself to smile, to pretend he was fine, but the coaster suddenly lurching and coming to a stop at the top of the first hill made him tense up, gripping the bar in front of him tightly and trying not to panic. He had never ridden a rollercoaster before and the only story he'd ever heard of from someone he knew who had been on one was what Maya had told him about... As the coaster suddenly started to descend, Akira's panic spiked. They were gonna crash and he was going to be hurt like Maya was and he'd never be able to walk again and-

"Kurusu, focus on me, okay?" came Mishima's soothing voice as he gently cupped Akira's cheek, turning the taller teen's head until they were eye to eye as he continued softly, "Focus on me until we can get off. Can you do that?"

Akira took a shaky breath, nodding just enough to get his message across without dislodging Mishima's hand. The blunette smiled before starting to babble about their project for art, keeping his voice just loud enough for Akira to hear but trying to make sure he didn't disturb the other people on the ride. It was... calming, Mishima's a constant soothing cadence, something that Akira could focus on to distract himself from how scared the ride was making him. Mishima did such a good job keeping Akira's attention that they were off of the ride before they knew it. As soon as they were off, Mishima led Akira over to and bench, forcing Akira to sit before perching next to his and asking if he was okay. Akira hesitated before shrugging and muttering a quiet, "Sorry..."

"You have nothing to apologise for, Kurusu..." Mishima whispered, carefully running a soothing hand up and down Akira's back, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Akira hesitated before sighing and leaning to the side, letting his head fall onto Mishima's shoulder. The blue teen tensed at that, his hand freezing in place, and for a moment Akira was worried that he'd messed up, that he'd crossed a line and Mishima would be upset and- Mishima relaxing and returning to his ministrations calmed Akira enough for him to speak, "I've never ridden a rollercoaster before, and the only person I knew growing up who had was paralyzed when the coaster she was on crashed."

That made Mishima freeze again, and Akira anxiety returned in full force. He'd probably been too calm about, too monotone, too relaxed-

"That's okay," Mishima stated, reaching up to run a hand through Akira's hair (thankfully missing the way the taller teen shivered at his touch), "We'll avoid the coaster. Is there anywhere else you'd prefer we left out?"

Akira blinked in surprise at how... okay Mishima was being, his heart warming slightly as he pulled away to smile at Mishima and he shook his head. Mishima returned the smile before seemingly seeing something that made him glare. Akira followed his gaze, almost sighing with relief when he saw Makoto and Haru. Good. That meant he had less time alone with Mishima to embarrass himself... When Mishima realised that Akira had seen what he had, he started to babble.

"Uh... I... They're probably just friends, right? It can't be what it looks like! I mean, you and Niijima are dating, so she-"

"You think I'm dating Makoto?" Akira asked, voice purposefully disbelieving. Mishima sent him a flat look before nodding, and Akira huffed out a small laugh as he shook his head and stated, "Makoto and I are just friends. She and Haru have been dating for a little over two weeks now..."

Mishima blinked in surprise before his cheeks flushed slightly as he muttered, "I... Uh... Sorry for assuming.."

"It's okay, I-" Akira was cut off by the sound of Haru calling his name, rushing over and pulling Makoto along by her hand. The taller girl was busy blushing as she waved once the girls had come to a stop. Akira smiled back at them muttering a quick greeting before realising that Mishima was much tenser than he had been before the girls walked over...

"Hello Akira and... Mishima, is it?" Makoto eventually regained her voice, smiling slightly. Mishima sat stiffly, nodding and returning the greeting shyly. Makoto raised an eyebrow at Akira, smirking a little as she teased, "I thought you had no plans to come to the fair today, Akira... That's what you told us, anyway."

Akira felt his cheeks warm up slightly, but he ignored that in favour of rolling his eyes and saying, "I wanted to come with Mishima today. We agreed to come here tomorrow after school anyway."

Mishima seemed to be watching the pair talk, still stiff and on edge, but Haru speaking up distracted all of them, "Oh! We should go around together! Like a double date!"

That made both Akira and Mishima splutter and stutter about how they were just friends, which earned a small huff of laughter from Haru before she said, "You are both protesting quite a bit..."

"I... That would never happen between us," Mishima stated, oblivious as to how those six little words made Akira's heart ache, almost like he'd been shot... Makoto sent Akira a small, concerned look, but he just shook his head and shrugged, humming a non-commital note. He opened his mouth to speak, but a nearby conversation stopped him.

"God, the police are so useless!" one woman complained, rolling her eyes, "How hard can it be to catch those Phantom Thieves? I mean, honestly..."

"I know, right?" the teenage girl with the woman agreed, rolling her eyes too. Akira felt his heart squeeze at the reminder that the public now hated them, that they were now 'the enemy', that-

"Fucking idiots," Mishima growled under his breath, tone dark and dangerous as he subtly glared at the pair. Akira could barely conceal the shiver that wracked him at the sound, his cheeks flushing as warmth pooled somewhere that was really awkward when in public... (Seriously, why did he find Mishima so hot? He'd rarely had enough of a connection to someone to feel that kind of attraction, but Mishima -both as himself and his shadow- could pull reactions out him easily...). Speaking of, the bluenette continued on to mutter, "They know nothing about the Phantom Thieves. They're just jumping on the bandwagon and listening to the utter bullshit that the media tells them... They can't form their own opinions..."

For some reason, hearing Mishima swear and be angry on his behalf... really did something for Akira. But he shoved that down in favour of whispering to Mishima, "Relax. Ignore them."

Mishima took a deep breath, sighing and forcing himself to look at Akira with a small, embarrassed smile, "Sorry. I just... I hate how people talk about them. They've done so much  _ good _ , and then one bad thing happens -which, you know, I'm pretty sure they were framed for- and everyone turns on them? It just... It's horrible how people are so flakey and only care about what the media tells them without forming their own thoughts on a topic..."

Akira hummed a not of agreement, but Makoto speaking up distracted him, "We would like to enjoy the fair with you both. If that's not an issue, of course..."

Mishima blinked in surprise before muttering that he was fine with it and asking how Akira felt. The taller teen agreed, and so the quartet started to explore...


	13. Amor in aere

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title means 'Love in the air'.

Soon, the group found themselves sharing a teacup on a spinning teacup ride, chatting about anything under the sun. Makoto and Haru were holding hands whilst the smaller of the two rested her head against her 'girlfriend's' shoulder, and opposite Akira and Mishima were sat close. So close, in fact, that they were touching right from their ankles up to their shoulders... It took everything in Akira to not combust at the contact...

"It's such a nice day out..." Haru commented, Mishima agreeing as his eyes drifted off to the horizon. Akira couldn't help but watch him. In the mid-morning sunlight, hair a little messy, eyes shining brightly and cheeks flushed by the cool air, he looked... breathtaking. Akira wanted to see Mishima look as happy and carefree as he did then all of the time... Makoto lightly kicking his leg drew him away from where he'd been staring at Mishima and her raised eyebrow and smirk made him blush slightly. Glaring, he kicked her back, but Haru talking again distracted the squabbling teens.

"So, Mishima..." she started, stealing the bluenette's attention, "If you don't mind me asking... How come you are so certain that nothing could happen between you and Akira? Are you already dating someone?"

Mishima looked visibly surprised by the questions before his expression turned into something a little more... like what he was about to say was obvious, replying with, "Of course I'm not. And I know that nothing could happen between Kurusu and I because I'm not good enough for him."

Akira's heart ached at that, Mishima's words reminding him that the bluenette didn't think anyone liked him... He opened his mouth to argue, but the ride suddenly coming to a stop distracted him. Before he had the chance to say anything, Mishima was already climbing off, holding out a hand to help everyone else off. Haru got off first, muttering something to Mishima about how he was better than he thought, followed by Makoto, who declared that Mishima was good enough for anyone he wanted, and finally Akira, who took the hand Mishima offered him to help him out but held onto it even after he was clear of the ride. Mishima blinked in surprise, looking down at their joined hands as Akira took a moment to savour the contact. All of that time playing volleyball had given him callouses, roughing his hands up, and Akira weirdly liked that... He used his grip on Mishima's hand to tug the other teen to the side, sending Makoto and Haru a look that told them to wait for him before leading Mishima down to the between the teacups and the ride next to it. He took a fortifying breath, letting go of Mishima's hand slowly (he didn't want to. He wanted to hold on and never let go, but he couldn't overstep here...) before speaking up.

"Why do you run yourself down like that?" he asked softly, tilting his head to the side as he let his face show that he didn't understand. Because, in some ways, he didn't. Logically, he knew that Mishima hated himself so much because of years of bullying and abuse and being constantly pushed down, but at the same time he couldn't see how someone as amazing as Mishima could feel that way. He was so kind and brave and strong, in his quiet way, and he was still standing after everything and-

"It's just the truth, Kurusu," the bluenette in question replied, shrugging and tucking his hands into his back pockets, "I'm not good enough for anyone-"

"That's not true!" Akira cut him off, tone nothing short of annoyed as he reached out, gripping Mishima's arm tightly, "That's not true... You're so much better than you think. You can't see it, but I can. I know that you're amazing and strong and braver than you realise. That you're a million times the person you think you are..."

Mishima blinked in surprise at the outburst, and Akira realised what he'd done. Letting go of Mishima like he'd been burned, the younger teen rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, already mumbling and trying to take it back. He couldn't let Mishima realise just what his words meant, just why he thought that, why- Mishima rushed forward, wrapping his arms around Akira and ducking his head so his forehead rested against the other teen's chest. Akira stiffened at the sudden movement but managed to relax, returning the hug tightly. It was... better than Akira had thought it would be, hugging Mishima. The bluenette was shorter than Akira, but he had a surprising amount of strength, and Akira felt safe in his arms... Of course, it couldn't last, and Mishima eventually pulled away, blushing and muttering a quiet, "Thanks... No one's ever said that to me before..."

Akira's heart was torn between aching for his friend and skipping a beat at the sight of Mishima being so. Damn. Adorable. But he ignored that in favour of murmuring a soft but firm, "It's just the truth."

Mishima's blushed darkened, but he was smiling brightly behind his shyness, so Akira took that as a win. The smaller teen suggested they headed back to Haru and Makoto, and Akira regretfully agreed. He wanted to spend more time with just Mishima, but he knew he couldn't... When the pair got to the where girls had been, they saw that they had migrated to the games stands near the teacup ride. Sharing a look, the boys walked over. Akira almost laughed at the pout Makoto was sporting as she failed with one of the claw machines, but she glared at him before he could.

"Would you like to try to win something?" she grumbled, and Akira shook his head with a fond smile.

"I'm bad at claw machines," he stated, but Mishima stepped forward before he could say anything else.

"I... Uh... I could have a go?" he suggested, shrugging shyly. Makoto blinked in surprise before nodding, muttering a pleading agreement. After she moved to the side, Mishima scanned the barcode of his wristband before starting up the machine... He didn't get anything on his first go, but on his second he was able to win a small, pink teddy bear, which he said Haru could have. She tried to argue, but he said he wanted to try to win them all something, which made her shut up. And he did manage to win them all something, giving Makoto a cute purple calculator plushy that looked like an anime sidekick, presenting Akira with an adorable blue kitten keychain and earning himself a keychain just like Akira's, but black. Of course, when he was done Makoto started to grill him for info on how he did it, but Akira stepped in before she could go too far.

"Why don't you have a go at one of the shooting games, if you want to win something?" he suggested, and Makoto was quick to agree. The quartet migrated to the game, taking turns to have a go. Makoto went first, and was able to win a unicorn plushie for Haru on her first go. The pink girl became even pinker when presented with the prize, smiling before saying she wanted to have a go. Which she did, and she managed to get a big brown teddy for Makoto. Obviously, Akira had to at least try to win something for Mishima, and he actually managed to get the bluenette the hardest prize at the stall, a large Deadpool plushie. Surprisingly, Mishima was over the moon with the prize, blushing and stammering as he explained that he loved Marvel comics. And since Akira had won him something, he felt like he had to win Akira something too. The taller teen tried to argue, to say that Mishima had won him his keychain, but the determined look that flashed in the bluenette's eyes made him breathless... It took two attempts, but Mishima was able to win Akira an absolutely adorable penguin squishy. The stress toy was actually perfect for Akira... From there, the quartet decided that, since it was nearing lunchtime, they should do the more wild rides they wanted to before eating. Both Haru and Makoto wanted to go on the rollercoaster, so Mishima suggested they went and did that whilst he and Akira looked after their stuff, sending the younger teen a discreet look. Akira felt himself relax as he and Mishima found a bench to sit on, ready to wait for the girls to come back...

For a long moment, it was completely silent between the boys, neither sure what to say. Although, Akira was mostly struggling because everything they'd done felt like a date... Mishima eventually spoke up, voice shaky as he muttered, "Uh... Kurusu? Th... Thanks, for today. it... It's been a lot of fun..."

"I like hanging out with you, Mishima, so you don't need to thank me," Akira returned, turning so he could look at Mishima. The bluenette kept his gaze glued to the horizon, cheeks dusted a sweet pink as he fiddled with one of his Deadpool plushy's arms. Here, like this, bathed in golden sunlight and smiling just the slightest bit... Mishima was stunning. The sun turned pale skin golden rosy, azure hair became cobalt, ebony eyes lightened and shined... He was just... stunning, the most gorgeous person Akira knew...

"I... I like hanging out with you too, K... Kurusu," the blue teen muttered, his cheeks flushing to a soft pink. Akira was struck by the need to be with the boy in front of him, to protect him and be protected in return, to love and be loved, to-

"Hello!" Haru cut in, shattering the moment as she and Makoto returned, "We saw something on our way back that we'd love to try! And they let you take any prizes you win on! Would you two like to join us?"

Akira nodded, standing up before Mishima had the chance to disagree. The bluenette seemed to hesitate before nodding, gathering his things and handing the girls theirs before they all set off. The walk was quiet, the only sound that of Haru discussing the rollercoaster with Mishima. It seemed like they both loved those kinds of rides... When Haru stopped at the ride she wanted them all to try, Akira found himself regretting agreeing. It was the tunnel of love... Mishima seemed to realise at the same time as Akira, his cheeks flushing brightly as he tried to argue. However, Haru just giggled and pushed him and Akira into one of the carts, stating that she and Makoto would catch the next one. Akira opened his mouth to argue, but the ride had already started... He turned back to Mishima, ready to apologise, but the words died on his tongue. The smaller teen looked... sweet, nothing short of too cute for Akira's heart to handle as he held his plushy on his lap and blushed brightly. As the daylight faded and they entered the tunnel, Akira found himself wanting to kiss Mishima... Not that he would. He knew he didn't stand a chance with Mishima, so he shoved those thoughts away before he did something stupid.

"I... I'm sorry about Haru. She keeps trying to set me up with people..." he lied, relaxing when Mishima sent him a small, non-judging smile.

"Th... That's okay," he stuttered, looking around the tunnel, "I... I've never been on one of these before..."

Akira muttered about how he hadn't either as he examined the ride. It was a bit... much, for him. Everywhere he looked, it was hearts or pinks or reds... Mishima didn't seem to mind, giggling a little when he saw a fake dinner scene that had been created along the side of the tunnel. When Akira sent him a questioning look, he stated, "This is a lot... cheesier than I thought it would be."

Akira huffed an amused breath at that, nodding in agreement as he shuffled slightly closer to Mishima. The entire thing may have been horribly cheesy, but it was still romantic, and when with his crush? It made Akira want to just curl up with Mishima and spend hours watching shitty rom-coms... In the delicate pink lighting, Mishima seemed softer, like his edges and walls had been soothed down and broken... It was over too soon for Akira to be able to properly enjoy the sight of Mishima like that, but he had already done his best to memorise it... They both made their way over to the closest bench to the ride, sitting down as they waited for the girls. Neither boy knew quite what to say, so they remained silent... Haru and Makoto finally exiting the ride and walking over was just what Akira needed to take his mind off of the fact that it honestly felt like he and Mishima were on a date...

"Let's eat," Makoto suggested, and Akira was quick to agree. Within a few minutes, the quartet had managed to find a food cart that wasn't surrounded by hungry customers, and they were soon seated at a table, eating and drinking their various meals. Akira tried to focus on his own, but he couldn't help getting distracted when Mishima was sat  _ right there _ eating a hot dog with no idea as to how the sight made Akira feel... of course, Makoto picked up on it and kicked him, making him focus on his own food. It was a hard task, not getting distracted by the stretch of Mishima's lips around his ht dog or how he sucked on the straw of his drink, but eventually, everyone was done. At least, they were until Haru asked if anyone wanted ice cream. Akira almost groaned when Mishima agreed, offering to use his wristband to buy for everyone. Haru agreed, saying that it would have been a waste of money if he didn't use it properly, but insisted that she helped carry the treats. After asking what everyone wanted, the cute pair walked over to the closest ice cream vendor, leaving a  _ very  _ uncomfortable Akira with Makoto. The pair both groaned, collapsing onto the table.

"I'm too gay for this," Makoto grumbled, and Akira made a noise of agreement. He may have been distracted by Mishima, but he knew that Haru had had a hot dog too, and had kept licking her fingers after her ketchup repeatedly got on them, which would have greatly affected Makoto... The pair silently suffered because their crushes were too damn attractive for them to handle, but pulled themselves together just as the other two got back. Mishima handed Akira his ice pop with a small smile, taking his seat. Once he had the treat in hand, Akira was struck by a very naughty thought... He went along with it anyway, sucking on the ice pop's tip for a moment before letting it slid towards the back of his mouth, near his throat... Mishima coughed, distracting Akira from his actions, but the bluenette was purposefully not looking at him. Interesting... Akira was about to go back to his ice pop when Mishima glanced at him from the corner of his eye, smirking shyly before licking at his ice cream, cleaning up a strip of it in one simple move. Akira found himself unable to look away, swallowing down his saliva as his eyes stayed focused on the motions Mishima's tongue was making... Swipe, lick, twirl, clean his lips... That tongue continued to move, drawing Akira's teen mind down a very dirty path... At least, until Mishima looked away, blushing brightly and reminding Akira that he was just eating an ice cream. The bluenette was just enjoying his frozen treat, he didn't need Akira being a perv... The taller teen returned to his ice pop, licking at where it had begun to melt before sucking it down, just trying to get through it as quickly as he could so he could go calm down away from Mishima and his good looks and seemingly skilful tongue... Akira was so focused on just finishing his ice pop that he was oblivious to the eyes on him, right until he had actually finished and was sucking his fingers clean... The action earned a small noise from the teen next to him, but Mishima acted like nothing had happened. Akira thought that he may have imagined the noise for a second, but Mishima glancing at him, eyes darker than normal and cheeks flushed, made him think that maybe he hadn't... However, before he could test that, Mishima licked his ice cream cone, cleaning up the ice cream that had melted there, the pink of his tongue making Akira's breath catch, and the taller teen found himself standing quickly.

"Back in a min," he stated, turning and catching the tail end of a disappointed look on Mishima's face. The expression was gone so fast that Akira was sure he'd imagined it... He rushed to the nearest bathroom, locking it behind him and taking several deep, calming breaths. He'd never been this affected by anyone before, why was Mishima so different? Why did he do this to Akira, make the taller teen feel so close to losing control, why- it was the fact that Akira actually had feelings for him. God, did he have feelings for Mishima. All Akira wanted to do was date the beautiful blue boy, to cuddle him and spend hours upon hours just them, to kiss him and love him and be loved and-

Akira forced himself to ignore those thoughts, pushing the image of Mishima's sinful tongue away for another time. He didn't deserve to think that way about Mishima, not when he hadn't stopped the other boy's descent into having a palace, not when Mishima probably liked Akechi more than him, not when Mishima deserved so much better-

After a few more minutes, Akira was able to act decent and forced himself to go back to his friends, smiling as he did. Everything seemed the exact same, except they had all finished their ice creams, but something was off... Akira didn't get the chance to figure out what, though, because Mishima spoke up, "I... I need to go soon. S... Sorry..."

"Do you have time for one more ride? Because I'd love to go on the Ferris wheel with all of you..." Haru piped up, sending Akira a discreet smirk. The taller teen glared at her lightly before focusing on Mishima, who hesitated before agreeing. Haru beamed at that, grabbing her stuff and getting ready to head to the ride. Akira rolled his eyes, copying her, and the quartet soon found themselves at the ride. They did have to wait for a little bit, but they were eventually able to get on. Once they were in their pod, Akira found himself sat next to Mishima, who was already looking out of the window. It was almost like he was avoiding looking at Akira... The ride starting distracted Akira, and he was soon too absorbed in the sight outside of the window to think about that. It was... stunning. And Akira found himself turning to see how Mishima was reacting to the view. And the sight of Mishima, smiling softly and distracted by the landscape in front of them... It was a million times more beautiful than any view from the ride could ever be...

-=-=-=-=-=

A little over half an hour later, Akira and Mishima walked to the train station together. They'd agreed to leave Haru and Makoto to enjoy their date, so the boys were alone... As they walked, Akira thought that the air between them was different, charged almost... He didn't say anything, even as he sent Mishima on his way. He didn't say anything on his own train, he didn't mention it to Sojiro when he got back to LeBlanc, he didn't bring it up when he texted his friends to meet him at the cafe. He didn't know what it was, but something had changed between him and Mishima. Maybe his shadow could shed some light on that...


	14. Puer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'A boy'

Not even two hours later, the Phantom Thieves found themselves back in Mishima's palace, although it was a little different... For instance, some of the rides had changed. There was no longer a rollercoaster, the exterior of the tunnel of love looked more like than one Akira and Mishima had ridden earlier that same day, there was a new teacup ride, and the Ferris wheel looked different... Haru, Makoto and Akira shared an understanding look, but everyone was soon distracted by Mishima's shadow appearing in front of them. He seemed a little... flushed, and right behind him, cognitive Akira seemed to be walking over with two ice creams... The real Akira had to fight the urge to groan, already having been tortured by Mishima eating an ice cream once and not ready for the much more confident shadow to do the same, but almost definitely more teasingly... However, the shadow did no such this, turning to the cognitive Akira and telling him something. The cognition seemed to pout before pressing a sweet kiss to the shadow's head and leaving. Akira couldn't believe what he had just seen. Did... Did Mishima want that? F... For Akira to kiss him like that? Did-  
"Excellent job showing the other me that you and Niijima aren't dating, Akira," the shadow purred, smirking and distracting Akira, "And the way you flirted with the other me? Surprising. He did really like it, even if he thinks you mean nothing by it..."  
Akira blinked in surprise at that, but the shadow continued before he could speak, "I suppose a deal is a deal, and I must show you a way into my palace... Although, I have one condition first."  
"Hey! That wasn't-"  
"What condition?" Akira asked, cutting Ryuji off with a glare. The blonde winced slightly, but didn't press, so Akira refocused on Mishima's shadow, who was smirking a little bit.  
"Let's ride the tunnel of love together. You and me, Niijima and Okumura, Sakamoto and Kitagawa, and Sakura, Takamaki and the cat in separate carts. I'd love to relive what you and the other me did..." the shadow purred, taking a step closer to Akira. In response, Akira flushed, but he didn't agree right away. He looked at his team, who all shrugged or said that it was his choice, before coming to a decision. Looking back at Mishima's shadow, who was watching him closely, Akira nodded minutely, earning himself a blinding smile (seriously, how could a shadow, the literal embodiment of bad shit, look so pure???). The shadow quickly took Akira's hand, lacing their fingers together and tugging him over to one of the boats in the tunnel of love. Once there, the bluenette waited until all of the Phantom Thieves were just in front of him before stating, "I will not try to hurt your leader, as long as you all play along. Understood?"  
With surprisingly little grumbling, the group agreed, so Akira soo found himself settled in one of the boats with Mishima's shadow, who was watching him like he was something special...  
"Why did you want to do this?" Akira asked, ignoring how his heart was racing in favour of fixing the shadow with a blank look. Mishima frowned a little before sighing and stretching. The move was graceful and cat-like, the suit Mishima wore accentuating the teen shadow's surprisingly defined physique... Akira had to force his eyes away, focusing on the area they were in. It was... different than the one they'd been in earlier that day, less cheesy and much nicer...  
"Why do you care about the other me so much?" the shadow asked suddenly, answering Akira with a question. The thief hesitated before sighing. He didn't know what difference it would make, but he figured he might as well tell the truth...  
"...Because I have feelings for him..." Akira whispered, blushing and looking down at the water. The shadow made a disbelieving noise, so Akira forced himself to continue, "I do. He's... He's special to me. He's so strong, despite everything that's tried to tear him down, he's so brave when he needs to be, he-"  
"He's a failure!" the shadow suddenly shouted, making Akira look at him, "He made me because he is selfish and useless and knows that he's not good enough and-"  
"He's good enough for me. Too good, actually..." Akira cut in, glaring at the shadow as he continued in a snarly tone, "Yes, he made you, but there's so much more to him than his desires! He is so good, really, that it terrifies me! He may be selfish enough to create you, but I know that he'd throw himself into danger for his friends, I know that he's amazing and kind and-"  
Akira let out a small 'mmph!' when he was abruptly cut off by a pair of lips against his own. The shadow was- kissing him? That- Akira found himself kissing back, but forced himself to pull away from the shadow, who looked genuinely terrified when they parted. He closed in on himself, and his panic didn't give Akira the chance to think about the kiss as the shadow began to mumble, "I... I'm so sorry... I know... I- I'm sorry! I'll never step out of line again, I-"  
Akira shut the shadow off by pulling him into a tight hug. It was... weird, hugging a shadow, but it was also Mishima, so Akira dealt with it. He didn't want to see Mishima -either the real him or the shadow- looking so scared of him ever. He couldn't-  
"I... Why?" the shadow whispered when he was calm, clinging to Akira tightly, "Wh... Why bother with me? I... I'm just a waste-"  
"I love Mishima," Akira muttered, the truth slipping off of his tongue without his permission, "I... I love him, and seeing him -seeing you?- hurt like this is hell... I regret not seeing it before, I was too caught up in myself and-"  
The shadow pulled away, snarling and glaring as the ride came to a stop. He was quick to get out, and Akira followed him, frowning, but the shadow growling made the thief stop. The pair stared at each other like that until Mishima's shadow hissed out, "Don't fucking lie to me! D... Don't try to use my emotions against me! I get it! You'll never return my feelings -his feelings! But you don't need to-!"  
The shadow cut himself off when Ann, Futaba and Morgana's ride finished. He glanced between the group, growling again before turning on his heel and trying to leave. Keyword- trying. Akira was quick to grasp his hand, holding on tight, but the shadow summoning his guards forced Akira away. He was quick to call on Arsene and finish the fight, but Mishima was long gone by then... Akira sighed, finally allowing himself to react to the kiss as his fingers drifted up to his lips. The other thieves looked very confused, so Akira whispered out, "He... He kissed me..."


	15. Epicinium de oscula

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'Aftermath of the kiss'

The next day, at school, Akira couldn't look at Mishima. After the fight, the Phantom Thieves had retreated (but only after taking note of a vent Morgana had spotted in the love tunnel), but Akira couldn't get the kiss out of his head. Now he'd had the chance to think about it, it was constantly on his mind. The feelings of the shadow's smooth, unnaturally cold lips on his, the soft, perfect pressure behind it, the way the shadow had accidentally tugged on Akira's hair... It haunted the teen, and he found he couldn't look at Mishima when they had art class last period. Of course, Mishima picked up on that and had to ask what was wrong. Akira lied, obviously, saying he just had a lot on his mind, but internally cursed himself when a flash of hurt danced behind Mishima's eyes. Thinking quickly, Akira found himself asking, "Should we ask Makoto and Haru to help with our project?"

Mishima seemed to consider it for a moment before nodding, although he continued to look a little despondent... Akira frowned, out of his depths, before an idea struck him, and he quietly suggested, "Why don't we use Makoto and Haru for a series of couple's photos, then use Ann and Lala for solo's. Or something..."

Again, Mishima hesitated, but something about seeing Akira put effort into their project made him happier, and the light in his eyes returned as he began to list off potential ideas... Of course, Akira struggled to follow the conversation properly when all he could think about was if the real Mishima would kiss like his shadow, if his lips were as smooth, if he'd be willing to pull Akira's hair-

"Ku... Kurusu?" Mishima asked hesitantly, and Akira internally cursed himself before making a small, interested noise. The small bluenette frowned at him and muttered, "I... Uh... You zoned out there..."

"I was just thinking," Akira stated, smiling reassuringly and lying easily, "Would... I was considering if either one of us or one of our models could do drag for the project..."

That made Mishima pause, blinking in surprise, before grinning and declaring, "That's a great idea! I'm sure Niijima would look amazing in drag!"

Akira felt something cold settle in his gut as his mind supplied that Mishima was more interested in seeing Makoto in drag then him, but another part of him reminded him that  _ he _ was the one Mishima's shadow had kissed... He ignored that in favour of saying he'd ask Makoto if they were cool with taking part in their project later before asking Mishima to repeat what he'd said. The bluenette nodded, happy to do so... Akira actually forced himself to pay attention this time, taking notes and offering his input when he deemed it necessary. Mishima seemed to thrive when Akira offered him praise, so the bespectacled teen tried to do so as much as he could without being creepy... As the lesson drew to a close, Mishima trailed off, seemingly thinking...

"Are you okay?" Akira asked after a couple of minutes of silence, frowning when Mishima startled.

"Oh!" the bluenette smiled self-consciously, rubbing the back of his neck as he stuttered, "I... Uh... I was thinking a... about how we'd be able t... to make me look pre... presentable...."

Akira tilted his head to the side, visibly confused, so Mishima took a fortifying breath before muttering, "I... Uh... I'm not the most attractive of people..."

That little admision made Akira's heart ache, and he was quick to shake his head. That seemed to confuse Mishima, so Akira hurried to say, "You're one of the best-looking people in our class..."

Mishima blinked at that, eyes widening as he blushed, before ducking his head. However, he was unable to hide the small, shy and pleased smile that tugged at his lips as he murmured, "You... You can't just  _ say _ things like that, Kurusu..."

"It's the truth," Akira replied, smirking a little when Mishima's blush darkened. However, before either could say anything else, the bell rang. Akira almost pouted, wanting to spend more time with his crush, but forced himself not to as he asked quietly, "Would you like to come to LeBlanc? So we can discuss our project some more?"

Mishima visibly hesitated, pulling his phone to check it, before smiling slightly and nodding. Akira couldn't help but smile back, gathering his things and standing as Mishima did the same. They were both quiet as they walked, leaving the school grounds in companionable silence. Of course, their peace couldn't last, and someone calling Akira's name made them both stop just outside of the gate. It was Ryuji... The blonde boy grinned as he rushed over to them, all but yelling, "Hey Akira! Oh! And Mishima..."

The bluenette in question had stiffened at the Ryuji's voice and clearly looked uncomfortable, but he played it off with a polite, "Hello, Sakamoto..."

"Are you two hanging out?" Ryuji asked, seemingly oblivious as to how his presence was affecting Mishima, who was closing in on himself slowly... Akira sent his friend a discrete look as he replied with an affirmative, but Ryuji remained oblivious as he exclaimed, "Cool! I'll join you! Yusuke texted me to say he wanted to meet at LeBlanc anyway!"

"I... Uh... I'll leave you be, then," Mishima stuttered, ducking his head politely as he started to move away, "Uh... We can talk about our project some other time, Kurusu..."

"You can come with us! If you want to, that is..." Akira spoke quickly, internally cursing himself for how desperate he probably sounded... Mishima didn't seem to notice, too busy sending a hesitant look to Ryuji, but the blonde did and was smirking slightly... Akira cleared his throat and smiled a little, voice purposefully just on the edge of fond as he stated, "We can work on our project some other time, but I'd still like to hang out with you..."

Mishima seemed to consider it but ultimately shook his head with a shy smile and a whisper of, "I've got a lot of school work and things to do on the Phansite, anyway... See you tomorrow, Kurusu, Sakamoto..."

As the bluenette turned to leave, Akira sent Ryuji a glare, but the blonde was too focused on Mishima to take note, quickly asking, "What project were you two gonna work on?"

That made Mishima stop and turn back around, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear as he stuttered out, "Um... For art class, we... We have to create a portfolio of us modelling and photographing other people modelling..."

"Really? Well, I can help with that! I'm not a great model like Ann or an artist like Yusuke, but I know a bunch of great places! I'm sure I could help you find somewhere to do your photoshoot!" Ryuji beamed at Mishima, who looked vaguely like a deer caught in headlights, but Akira was quick to say it was a good idea. Especially since Ryuji had already said he was meeting Yusuke at LeBlanc, and the artist would have been useful for getting more ideas... Mishima seemed to hesitate for a second more before nodding slightly, agreeing to go with them to LeBlanc... Ryuji whooped at that, already talking as he started to lead Mishima and Akira to the train station, "Do you guys have a plan for your project yet? Or are you doing a random collection of pictures?"

Mishima visibly relaxed, happy to talk business as he replied, "We... Well, we're doing it based on the LGBT community... We don't have an exact plan yet, but we're considering asking Niijima and Okumura to help -they'd be good for couple's photos, don't you think?- and Takamaki has already agreed to, s... so we have that..."

As Mishima began to explain everything to Ryuji, Akira couldn't help but smile at the smaller teen. He was so cute when happy... Ryuji caught the look and smirked at Akira, but the leader just glared him down as hey finally reached the train station...


	16. Of Akeshima and Shuyuu

The trio spent their journey to LeBlanc discussing potential ideas for Mishima and Akira's art project, and they had come up with a few good things by the time they got to the cafe. Whilst they'd been talking, Mishima had relaxed a surprising amount, even managing to laugh at a joke Ryuji made (of course, he shut down for a few minutes after he did, but it was progress). Unfortunately, though, when they got to the cafe, they were greeted by someone Akira would have preferred to not see...

"Hello," Akechi greeted, smiling charmingly as he looked up from what he'd been reading. He looked at the trio, his eyes instantly focusing on Mishima, who froze at the sight of the detective... Of course, Akechi didn't seem to notice (rather, he probably ignored it) in favour of asking, "My, and who would you be?"

Mishima visibly hesitated before taking a fortifying breath and stuttering out, "Mi... Mishima Yuuki. It... It's a pleasure to meet you, De... Detective."

"Please, just Akechi," the older teen stated, getting up from his seat and walking over to Mishima, carefully grasping his hand and kissing the back of it as he whispered, "And the pleasure's all mine..."

Mishima blushed brightly at that, and Akira's gut settled coolly... He couldn't do anything though, not really, so settled for smiling at Mishima and stealing his attention by asking how he liked his coffee. Much to Akechi's obvious chagrin, the bluenette instantly focused on Akira, smiling slightly as he listed off how he preferred his drink... Of course, the detective wouldn't lay off, so he was quick to ask, "How is it that Akira never told me he had such a cute friend?"

Mishima blushed brighter at that, ducking his head and muttering about how he wasn't cute, but there was more to that shy demeanour that it first seemed... It was like Mishima was... tense and uncomfortable... Akira couldn't help but smirk a little, although he hid it by focusing on the coffee machine and calling out with a slight edge to his tone, "Maybe I didn't want to risk you stealing him, Akechi."

That earned a snort from Ryuji, a small chuckle from Sojiro, a quiet, embarrassed noise from Mishima and a glare from Akechi, but Akira only paid one of those reactions any attention... He smiled at Mishima and handed him his coffee, almost blushing when the bluenette sent him a small, thankful smile... The pair stared at each other, one hinting at flirtation and the other adorably shy, until the door to the cafe opened. As Yusuke walked in, Ryuji stood to attention, beaming at the taller teen and greeting him with a bright, "Hey, Yusuke! Slight change of plans! How do you feel about helping Akira and Mishima with their art project?"

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, looking around the cafe briefly, before declaring, "Ryuji, you know that I am always ready to help those in need of an artistic guide! What is the project?"

"Sweet!" Ryuji beamed, stretching (and showing off his abdomen, which Yusuke very unsubtly stared at) as he continued, "They need to photograph and model for a portfolio. Apparently, Ann has already agreed to help, and they were thinking about asking Haru and Makoto to help!"

As Ryuji had spoken, Akechi had sidled up to Mishima, smirking at the smaller teen and quietly asking, "So, Mishima... Would you care to... hang out, sometime? I'd _ love _ to get to know you..."

"I... Uh... Sorry, I... I'm pretty busy. Wi... With school and extracurricular activities and my part-time job..." Mishima stuttered, moving so he was closer to Akira than Akechi. The bespectacled teen couldn't help but smirk, resting a soothing hand on Mishima's shoulder. Surprisingly, the bluenette melted into the touch, visibly relaxing... That made Akechi's eyes flare, dark, but he just kept smiling.

"Oh? That's quite a shame... But we could at least talk, for now, can't we?" the detective pressed, stepping even closer to Mishima, who visibly stiffened. Some hot burned Akira's blood as he sent Akechi an icy glare.

"I believe you are making Mishima uncomfortable, Akechi," he stated, a hint of darkness in his voice, "Would you be kind enough to. Back. Off?"

Akechi glared back at Akira, the two teens holding an intense staring battle as Mishima looked between them, obviously uncomfortable. However, it was Sojiro that broke the tension, tone bored as he called out, "I don't care if you both have a thing for the same guy, just don't fight in my cafe."

Akira felt his cheeks colour at that as he sent Sojiro a flustered glare, earning a smirk from the older man, but he was quickly distracted by Mishima's surprised chuckle. The bluenette was quick to cover his mouth, visibly embarrassed, but Akira had already heard the chuckle. And damn, was it cute... Akechi broke the silence by quietly asking, "Now what is so funny, Mishima? Surely you aren't mocking either of us for finding you so attractive?"

Mishima tensed then, visibly uncomfortable, before stuttering out, "I... Uh... The idea that either o... of you have fe... feelings for  _ me _ is ju... just insane..."

Akira's heart ached at that, and he was quick to shake his head and correct Mishima with a soft, fond, "You're a million times better than you think you are, Mishima. And it's not  _ insane _ for anyone to catch feelings for someone as amazing as you."

"I... I...  _ Kurusu... _ " Mishima whined, using his free hand to cover his face. Not that it was all too effective at hiding his blush or the small smile that tugged at his lips, seemingly unintentionally... Akira's heart skipped a beat and he smiled down at the shorter teen, muttering something about it just being the truth. That earned him a pained noise as Mishima's blushed so bright his ears turned red. Which, really, was just adorable! Akira opened his mouth, ready to continue showering Mishima with compliments, but the door opening distracted everyone. There, in the doorway, stood a vaguely confused looking Niijima Sae, who glanced between Akira (who was still touching Mishima's shoulder and was a little bit pink), Mishima (who was still covering his face yet visibly flustered) and Akechi (who was openly glaring at Akira).

"Is... everything alright here?" the prosecutor asked hesitantly, and Akira went to reply, only to get cut off by a smooth, charming voice.

"Of course, Niijima-san," Akechi stated, sending her a forced smile. Akira scoffed at how fake the smile was, earning a glare from Akechi before the detective focused on Niijima and continued, "It just seems that Akira and I have both been enraptured by Mishima here."

That made Mishima blush and stutter out an argument as Akira rolled his eyes, scowling, and almost growled, "Aren't you a little old for Mishima, Akechi?"

"Not if it's a purely romantic relationship," Akechi countered, and Mishima spluttered some more. That made the detective smirk, and Akira glared at him until they were both distracted. He was burning from the inside out. How  _ dare _ Akechi think he could just waltz in here and steal Mishima when Akira was the one that actually liked him! The detective probably just wanted to use Mishima or hurt him or-

"I... I don't think that would happen, A... Akechi," Mishima stuttered out, sending Akechi a polite -if uncomfortable- smile and leaning even closer to Akira, "I... You're not my type."

"Oh? And what would be your type?" Akechi asked, eyes zeroed in on the way Akira let his hand fall from Mishima's shoulder, only to settle it on the bluenette's lower back. Mishima tensed for a split second before relaxing and carefully using his free hand to gently grasp the edge of Akira's uniform jacket before replying to Akechi.

"I... I prefer people who do... don't flirt with obviously uncomfortable people, for one," the bluenette stated, shrugging. He went to continue but slipped up a little when Akira untangled his fingers from his jacket, only to interlace their hands. That earned the bespectacled teen a bright blush and curious look before Mishima got himself back under control and forced himself to resume what he was saying, "And I like cuter people. Quieter people with enough of a presence to not ne... need to appear on television to get recognition. People who actually  _ care _ about me and don't just flirt with me to get something over on someone they dislike are also good."

Akira couldn't help but chuckle at that, especially when Akechi looked insulted. Mishima sighed, smiling slightly, and picked up where he'd stopped, "You're not exactly subtle, Akechi... You only decided to flirt with me because you have some sort of issue with Kurusu and think that doing so will make him jealous or something as equally unlikely."

Akira raised an eyebrow at that, visibly put out by the idea that Mishima thought he  _ wouldn't  _ be jealous if someone decided to flirt with him... Akechi, however, paid him no mind, preferring to scowl and leave with a quick goodbye. As soon as he was gone, Mishima pulled away from Akira, blushing and stuttering out apologises, "I... I'm sorry for.... grabbing your jacket and... being so weird and... I'm sorry. I... You probably want me to leave... I-"

"I'm the one who touched you first, then held your hand," Akira cut him off quickly, smiling sweetly, "I should be the one to apologise..."

Mishima blinked in surprise before ducking his head shyly, squeezing Akira's hand before letting go and brushing a hair behind his ear. Akira felt bereft without his hand, but he brushed it off with a smile by focusing on Niijima, who asked, "What was that about?"

"Akechi would not stop flirting with Mishima-kun there, although it is as clear as the sun that Mishima and Akira hold feelings for each other," Yusuke stated, not looking up from where he was writing on a notepad, "To change the topic, Mishima and Akira, you have an art project, do you not? If Ryuji was correct about your brief, I have come up with a few ideas that could be of use."

"Re... Really? What ideas?" Mishima asked, moving to stand closer to Yusuke and very obviously ignoring the taller bluenette's comment about his and Akira's feelings for each other. Yusuke started to explain his ideas, but Akira found that he couldn't pay attention, too busy watching Mishima... The bluenette was just... Akira couldn't put it into words. Mishima was fire and water, air and earth. He could burn and hurt, he could heal and cool, he could be steady and strong, he could be flexible and pure... He was stunning and brave and-

"Kid, you're giving him literally the biggest heart eyes ever. Reign in your gay," Sojiro teased as he handed Akira a coffee. The teen blushed brightly, but he couldn't argue, especially when Mishima turned to him with a bright smile and asked what he thought about Yusuke's idea of pride face paint...


	17. Of feelings and art

Niijima had to leave whilst the quartet of teen boys discussed the project, but she wasn't missed. Especially when Mishima started to get excited...

"That's an amazing idea, Kitagawa!" he beamed, scratching down a couple of notes and ignorant to how Akira was watching him fondly, "By incorporating our other art pieces in the portfolio, we should be able to boost our grades! I'm not the best, but I could probably put a few things together since technically we can't use anyone else's work..."

"You do art?" Ryuji asked, audibly impressed. That made Mishima pause, blushing and ducking his head as he rubbed the back of his neck shyly. Akira sent Ryuji a flat look, annoyed that Mishima had gone back into his shell, but the bluenette in question reaching into his bag distracted all of the boys.

"I... I'm not that good, but... but I dabble a lot... Especially when I'm stressed..." Mishima muttered quietly, taking out a book and flipping it onto the first page. Akira's heart stopped at what he saw... Compared to what Yusuke did, it wasn't a masterpiece, but the shaded pencil drawing was still amazing. It was seemingly simple, just a self-portrait, but the detail was... stunning... Akira told Mishima as much, earning himself a blush as the bluenette flipped the page. Now, he had worked on a double spread and created a landscape in coloured pencils. It wasn't somewhere Akira recognised, but it was truly... breathtaking. Ryuji said as much this time, so Mishima turned to the next page. And this work... It was the best so far...

Pitch black, midnight blue and deep purple bled into burnt orange, golden yellow and scarlet, the sunset a perfect backdrop for the foreground, where a beautiful scene lay... It was a couple, both facing the sunset as they sat on a picnic blanket. One of them had long, black hair that tumbled past her lower back, looking so smooth and soft Akira could almost imagine what it would feel like to touch... The other had shorter navy hair that was pulled into a high ponytail. The couple were obviously together because of how the darker-haired girl leaned against her girlfriend, their conjoined hands just visible propping them both up... They were surrounded by cherry blossoms, which framed the couple perfectly... There was a long moment of silence before Yusuke breathed softly, "This is... stunning..." 

Mishima blushed even brighter at that and started to stutter, "I... It's nothing, really. I... As I said, I... I just dabble... I'm... I'm not really that good-"

"Mishima-kun, I have classmates who could never even dream of producing something this spectacular," Yusuke cut Mishima off, smiling slightly at the smaller bluenette, who coloured further and ducked his head shyly. The sight made Akira's heart flutter, and he struggled to look away, only managing to do so when Ryuji kicked him under the table... The blonde sent him a knowing, teasing look, so he glared back before agreeing with Yusuke. That made Mishima blush even brighter, releasing a small, pained noise, which (once again) made Akira's heart skip a beat...

"Mishima-kun, would it be possible for you to create a piece related to each of your models?" Yusuke asked suddenly, looking up from where he'd continued flicking through Mishima's art. The smaller bluenette visibly hesitated, frowning and tapping his lip (which damn-near gave Akira a heart attack) before replying.

"I... Maybe? I... I need to know who's going to model for us, then I need to know at least a little about them and their gender or sexuality or whatever..." he murmured, pulling out a notepad and pen, tapping his lips with the latter as he considered his options before continuing, "It's possible?"

Yusuke made an interested noise, humming a note, before asking, "Well, may I possibly model for you?"

Ryuji made a small, confused noise at that, but Mishima spoke first, brow furrowed as he softly questioned, "I... You're a part of the community?"

Visibly, Yusuke hesitated, glancing at Akira and Ryuji (who both sent him reassuring smiles) before sighing and muttering, "I... I am trans and gay."

For a split-second, no one spoke, registering what Yusuke had said. It was... surprising, to say the least. Akira had no idea... At least, when it came to Yusuke's gender. He knew that the guy wasn't exactly straight, but-

"That's okay!" Mishima beamed at Yusuke, who blinked in surprise as the shorter bluenette continued, "Do you want to incorporate both parts of your identity in the piece I make for you, just one, or have two pieces, one for each identity? And, since you know a lot about art, do you want to help with the pieces? You technically can't make them, but there are no rules against getting artistic input from an outside source..."

"I... I am willing to help however you need," Yusuke replied, blushing just the slightest bit (and, judging by the way Ryuji glared slightly at Mishima, Akira wasn't the only one who noticed) before continuing shyly, "I... I would prefer a single piece that incorporates my entire identity, if that is alright..."

"Of course it is!" Mishima beamed at Yusuke before focusing on his notepad and asking the taller teen a few questions. As the two talked, Akira couldn't help but feel his heart ache. As soon as they'd gotten over their first meeting, the pair hit it off, bonding quicker than Akira had to Mishima... It didn't look like Akira was the only one feeling left out, Ryuji pouting as he watched Mishima and Yusuke interact... Akira sighed to himself, swirling his coffee in his mug as he got lost in his own thoughts...

_ Mishima's shadow kissed me, right? That kinda implies that Mishima has feelings for me... And he did say something about feeling like I was using his feelings against him... But what if I'm wrong? What if he doesn't like me and the shadow just wanted to use my feelings against me and- _

"Kurusu?" Mishima asked softly, tone concerned as he watched Akira, "I... Are you alright?"

"Of course," Akira lied, smiling as charmingly as he could. Mishima looked visibly displeased, but he didn't press, just asked Akira for his opinion on a sketch he'd worked up for Yusuke's piece. For something so quick and rushed, the sketch was pretty good, even if Akira's untrained eye couldn't quite understand all of the details... The bespectacled teen forced himself to smile some more as he stated, "It's good!"

Mishima clearly didn't believe him, but before either of them could speak, Sojiro cut them off. The older man sighed loudly and proclaimed, "It's getting late... Are you kids staying for dinner?"

Mishima frowned, checking his phone before shaking his head slightly, stuttering out, "I... I'm sorry, but I need to go. We... Uh... We can continue this some other time?"

"Sure," Akira replied, standing to lead Mishima to the door and quietly asking, "Do you want me to walk you to the train station?"

Mishima shook his head violently, shrugging and stuttering, "I... I'm fine! I... I wouldn't want to be a bother..."

Akira opened his mouth, ready to tell Mishima that he could never be a bother, but the bluenette was already gone... Sighing, the bespectacled teen refocused on his friends, although the small, smug smirk Ryuji wore told him that his despondency wasn't subtle...


	18. De consilia et colloquia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'of plans and meetings'

For the next few days, Akira found that he didn't have  _ time _ to talk to Mishima or go to his palace. He was too busy being dragged around by his friends or helping one person or another with an issue or having to work to up his skills... Of course, he forced that to change and made sure he was free on Sunday. In the early morning, just after he ate his breakfast, he sent off a quick text...

_ Me: Do you want to hang out? _

Akira couldn't help but be nervous as he waited for a reply. He never texted first... What if Mishima thought it was weird for him to reach out or he had plans or he didn't want to hang out with Akira or- A series of soft  _ dings _ distracted Akira, and the teen rushed to look at his text...

** Mishima: Really? You want to hang out with me? **

** Mishima: Don't you have someone better to be with? **

** Mishima: Not that I don't like hanging out with you! I just figured that you'd prefer to see someone else. **

The other teen's insistence that he wasn't worthy of Akira's time made the taller teen ache... Rather than dwell on that, he texted back.

_ Me: Of course I want to hang out with you. You're my friend. _

As he waited for a response, he sat at his desk and fiddled with a half-finished lockpick. He hated how badly Mishima saw himself, but he also hated that there was probably nothing he could do to help... The issues ran deeper than Akira stood a chance of knowing, and he knew that, even though the shadow had kissed him, he probably didn't actually stand a chance with Mishima because even if the bluenette had feelings for him, he'd run away if Akira tried to change their relationship... And Akira didn't want that. He preferred the idea of just being Mishima's friend to potentially losing him completely... He- A  _ ding _ made him check his phone.

** Mishima: Did you have something planned or? **

_ Me: I have a couple of tickets to Destinyland, if you'd like. _

Akira watched the little text bubble dance as he waited for Mishima's response. He'd actually specifically asked Haru to buy him those tickets (he'd offered to pay her back, but she'd insisted that he took them for free) because he had been planning to use this opportunity to convince Mishima to trust him... If, of course, Mishima agreed to go with him... It was entirely possible the smaller teen wouldn't want to go or he just didn't want to go with  _ Akira _ or-

** Mishima: Sounds like fun! What time? And where do you want to meet? **

Akira breathed a heavy sigh of relief at that, his heart calming down. Mishima was okay with it... After sending off a time and location (and receiving confirmation from Mishima), Akira gathered up all of his clothes and dumped them on his bed. It was a little too cool for some of his clothes, so he moved those ones to his sofa... With the rest, he tried to come up with something that would look good, but he didn't know for sure what he should wear. It wasn't a date, of course not, but it was going to be the first time he was alone with just Mishima since  _ the kiss _ so he was slightly panicking. He wanted to look good, but if he put in too much effort Mishima would figure out something was up and he'd be weirded out or-

"Text the group chat for advice," Morgana meowed, tone amused as he watched Akira from his perch on the table next to the stairs. Akira hesitated, feeling a little shy, but eventually grabbed his phone and sent off a quick message.

_ Me: I'm taking Mishima to Destinyland. _

No one replied for a few minutes, leaving Akira to stew in his fashion disaster, but eventually, his phone  _ dinged _ and he rushed to check it.

** Haru: That's sweet! Is there a problem? **

_ Me: I don't know what to wear. _

** Ryuji: Aww man! How come you get to go on a date with the cute guy? **

Akira blushed brightly at that. It wasn't a date! At least, it wasn't supposed to be. No matter how much Akira wanted it to be... Even if Mishima's shadow had kissed him, it probably meant nothing. He had probably been trying to manipulate Akira after he'd confessed... He-

** Futaba: Nah, Akira's too weak to ask Mishima on a date lol **

** Futaba: But, seriously Akira, maybe go for jeans, a nice t-shirt and your big jumper. Cute but functional **

** Ann: That sounds good! Change into that, send us a pic and we'll say if it's good or not! **

Akira sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose before refocusing on his clothes. He settled for a pair of skinny black jeans, a nice graphic tee and his big jumper. Once he'd changed, he frowned at how he looked. He didn't know if it was good... He ignored that in favour of grabbing his phone and taking a picture. It took a moment of shuffling so he could get a good angle, but it worked eventually, and he sent the photo off...

** Ann: Perfect! He won't be able to resist you! **

_ Me: It's not like that Ann. _

** Futaba: His shadow literally kissed you Akira. Stop being a dumbass and thinking it means nothing when he literally  _ kissed you! _ **

Akira's heart ached a little, but he also kinda knew Futaba was right. It couldn't have meant nothing... Right? Hopefully... He didn't want it to mean nothing, he- A message from a different chat caught Akira's attention.

** Mishima: See you soon, Kurusu! **

Despite his conflicting feelings, Akira smiled. He really,  _ really _ liked Mishima, and even if the bluenette's shadow had only kissed him to manipulate him... He could at least be Mishima's friend...

_ Me: See you soon, Mishima  _

He quickly told his friends that he needed to catch the train and, leaving Morgana behind because he said he 'didn't want to be stuck third-wheeling', headed out...


	19. Et lemma parcis et pueris bellus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'Of theme parks and cute boys'.

Unfortunately, Akira's train ran late, so he was a few minutes behind schedule when he finally arrived at the train station where he and Mishima had agreed to meet up... Fortunately, though, Mishima was right where he said he'd be. Akira couldn't help smile at the sight of the bluenette, his heart skipping a beat at what he wore... Again, Mishima wore really,  _ really _ tight jeans, but this time they were paired with a cool shirt for some band Akira didn't recognise and a slightly too-large jacket, and he somehow looked both adorable and pretty fucking hot... Akira ignored how his blood burned in his veins in favour of greeting Mishima with a quiet, "Hey. I hope you weren't waiting long..."

Mishima shrugged, smiling slightly and slipping his phone into the back pocket of his jeans (and seriously, with how tight those jeans were, how did the phone even fit?) as he stated, "I wasn't. The train should be here in the next couple of minutes."

Akira hummed in understanding, leaning against the wall Mishima was leaning on too. For a few seconds, they remained in silence, Akira's mind drifting back to the kiss (which, really, was all he could think about most of the time anymore...) and Mishima unsure what to say... As the quiet stretched on, Akira used the opportunity to examine Mishima. For once, the bluenette seemed... calm, happy even. He didn't seem to be carrying around the usual stress that weighed him down, he didn't seem angry or hurt or-

The train rolled into the station just then, and soon enough, the teens found themselves on the train, pressed chest to chest as swarmed by other passengers. Being pressed so close to Mishima was... bad for Akira's heart, but also amazing. He could smell Mishima's shampoo (surprisingly enough, it was sweet and almost... fruity) and feel the heat emanating from the bluenette's body. Akira had no idea what to do. His heart was racing (and probably audible to Mishima, since they were pressed so close), his mind was screaming at him to get even closer to his friend, he-

Someone shoved Mishima from behind, almost forcing him off of his feet, but Akira caught him, curling an arm around his waist. That earned him a small confused noise as Mishima stared up at him, but Akira ignored the heat in his cheeks in favour of murmuring into Mishima's ear, "Hold onto me..."

Mishima blinked in surprise as Akira pulled away, blushing brightly, and Akira felt a flash of panic. What if he'd pushed too far? What if Mishima got angry? What if Mishima was uncomfortable? What if- Mishima ducking his head and clinging onto Akira's jumper made the taller teen's brain shut down. It was... Damn, the pink on Mishima's cheeks was really,  _ really _ cute. Too cute for Akira's poor, gay heart to handle. Seriously, no one had the right to be that fucking adorable when embarrassed. No one. Not even pretty bluenette's with gorgeous ebony eyes and fruity hair and unfairly tight jeans-

"Is... Is this okay?" Mishima's voice was quiet, barely audible over the din of the train, but Akira heard it. He had to clear his throat, low-key dying because he could feel Mishima pressed against him tightly, but eventually, Akira was able to reply...

"Of course," he murmured, leaning down just enough for Mishima to hear him, and that earned him a pretty interesting reaction: Mishima shivered. It was a full-bodied thing, obviously unintentional but definitely not Akira's imagination. It... It led Akira's mind down a path he really didn't need to be on when he literally had Mishima plastered against him. Although, he did file it away for later... examination as he tightened his grip minutely. Other than that shiver, Mishima didn't react to Akira's words, so the younger teen took a few minutes to calm himself. He didn't want to do something completely inappropriate that could scare Mishima, so he tried to slow his racing heart and ignore the heat Mishima offered. Of course, it really wasn't easy, but Akira managed until they got off of the train. Getting of meant they had to part, unfortunately, but Mishima didn't stray too far. Instead, much to Akira's astonishment, he gingerly clung onto Akira's jumper, blushing brightly but not letting go until they were out of the station and walking towards DestinyLand, and even then he stayed close to Akira's side. Something about it seemed... soft and sweet, making Akira's heart flutter in his chest as they silently walked to the amusement park...

"Mishima," Akira spoke up just before they got to the park, catching Mishima's attention and holding out Mishima's pass for the park, "You need this."

Mishima smiled slightly, bashful, and took the pass with a quiet thanks. It made Akira's cheeks flush pink, how adorable Mishima was, but he ignored that in favour of nodding and continuing to the park. It didn't take them long to get in (Haru had gotten them the kinda pass that let them go to the front of the lines), and Akira found himself staring in awe at Mishima, who was busy doing the same to their surroundings. The park was fairly quiet, at least compared to what it would have been like during the summer, but was still crowded enough to warrant Akira staying close to Mishima's side. So that's what he did, leading Mishima over to a stall with a smile. The bluenette followed, visibly confused yet curious, until they were at the front of the stall.

"Which do you want, Mishima?" Akira asked, gesturing at the various headbands available. When the older teen spluttered and said he didn't need one, though, Akira couldn't help but smile and roll his eyes. Ignoring Mishima's protests, he brought them both matching headbands, smirking and tugging Mishima away from the stall by his arm.

"I... Kurusu, you don't need to-"

Akira cut Mishima off by tucking the headband he'd gotten him (really cute black kitten ears) onto his head, adjusting it until it looked comfortable before putting his own navy one on. Those actions made Mishima blush and blink owlishly (which, really, paired with the cat ears? The sight was too fucking cute and Akira was  _ dying _ -) before he realised what had happened and stuttered, "I... You... What... Kurusu!"

Akira couldn't help but chuckle at how adorably flustered Mishima was, smiling fondly and murmuring, "I wanted us to match."

Mishima's blush darkened at that as he mumbled something Akira couldn't quite make out, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand and hiding his face in the other. Something about Mishima's reaction made Akira's stomach turn and he frowned, reaching up to fiddle with his hair as he muttered, "It's okay if you don't want to..."

"It's not that!" Mishima argued, his hands flying out and gripping Akira's jumper tightly, "I just... It's... Matching is a couples thing..."

Akira felt a sharp stab in his heart at the reminder that they weren't together, but he ignored that in favour of smiling slightly and stating, "Friends can match too."

For a moment, Mishima seemed to consider his words, but it didn't take long for him to nod and smile, agreeing easily. That made Akira's smile grow into a grin, so the bluenette shrugged and suggested, "Why don't we-"

"Well, this is surprising..." a smooth voice suddenly appeared behind Akira, making him flinch away instinctively before turning to the source. He couldn't help but scowl at who he saw, glaring slightly as Akechi greeted them with a practised purr of, "It's wonderful to see you again, Mishima. And you, I suppose, Akira..."


	20. Of cute boys and not-dates

Akira's scowl deepened when he saw Akechi's eyes flicker to Mishima, but he ignored his jealousy in favour of asking, "What are you doing here, Akechi?"

Akechi smirked at the barely concealed annoyance in Akira's tone, but before he could answer, someone walked over, babbling away, "Akechi-sama, we really need to get to the shoot. It's on the other end of the park so- Oh! Yuuki! Hi, what are you doing here?"

That made Akira raise an eyebrow, glancing at Mishima, who was visibly torn between running away and a fake smile. However, before Akira could ask what was wrong, Mishima forced himself to stutter out, "H... Hi, Ren! I... Uh... I'm here with my f... friend, Kurusu... You?"

"You know I mentioned the big job I was offered? The photoshoot?" 'Ren' asked, grinning and moving until they were leant against Mishima's side. Their grin grew when Mishima silently nodded, prompting them to explain, "Well, the celeb I'm shooting is Akechi-sama! And we're shooting here! Isn't that awesome?"

"I... Yeah, it is..." Mishima agreed, relaxing minutely. Ren's grin grew even more, somehow, before they pulled away from Mishima in favour of focusing on Akechi.

"We really need to get going, Akechi-sama," they insisted, and Akechi rolled his eyes with a painfully put-upon pout.

"And here I was hoping I could spend more time with Mishima..." he sighed, seemingly oblivious to the way Mishima winced as Ren brightened.

"You know each other?" they asked, practically vibrating with excitement. Akechi was quick to agree, and Mishima forced himself to eventually (and something about his reluctance made something in Akira flutter), which made Ren grin as they exclaimed, "Awesome! I was kinda hoping I could introduce you some time..."

"Oh? Why would that be? And how do you two know each other?" Akechi asked, faux-charm oozing off of him. Ren seemed completely oblivious but, much to Akira's joy, Mishima rolled his eyes at Akechi...

"Yuuki's my cousin! And I was thinking about introducing you because Yuuki's a huge Phantom Thieves supporter and I wanted to see how you'd react to each other!" Ren replied absentmindedly, eyes completely focused on the tablet they held before they perked up, grinning as they suggested, "Yuuki! You could help us! We need an extra for this photoshoot!"

Mishima's lips parted at the suggestion, his eyes wide and his eyebrow arched, before he burst out into soft laughter. It was... Akira's heart fluttered at the sound, his cheeks heating up as he watched Mishima. He was so beautiful... Of course, the moment was shattered by Akechi, who seemed to  _ pout _ as he asked, "What's so funny about that, Mishima?"

Mishima instantly sobered up, tensing and eyeing Akechi uncomfortably. Thankfully, Ren seemed to pick up on Mishima's discomfort, but not before the bluenette was able to stutter out, "I... I'm not ex... exactly the most pho... photogenic of people..."

Akira's heart squeezed at that and he didn't hesitate to gingerly lay one hand on Mishima's shoulder, frowning at the shorter teen and murmuring, "I thought I already told you? You're one of the best looking people I know..."

That earned him a quiet squeak and a bright blush as Mishima spluttered, but Akira didn't get to bask in being able to make the adorable bluenette blush. Instead, he had his attention stolen by a certain annoying detective all but purring, "Akira might be right there, Mishima. You are rather stunning..."

Surprisingly enough, that drew a very different reaction from Mishima; the bluenette tensed, eyes widening as he watched Akechi with barely concealed... fear, almost. There was no better word for it... Akira couldn't help but wonder why Mishima had reacted like that, but he didn't voice his curiosity aloud. Instead, he remained silent as Ren chuckled and stated, "Nevermind, Yuuki. We'll find a different extra."

"Now why would we need to do that?" Akechi asked, smirking at Mishima and eyeing him like a piece of meat. That made Mishima shrink in on himself and shiver, visibly distressed, and something in Akira flared with the need to protect the smaller teen. He scowled at Akechi, dark and dangerous, and carefully used his hand on Mishima's shoulder to pull him close. Of course, that just pissed Akechi off, but he didn't get the chance to speak...

"Because, Akechi-sama, you'll be too busy trying to flirt with Yuuki to get any work done, and Yuuki will be too uncomfortable to work well," Ren replied, glaring at Akechi even as they smiled brightly, "Besides, I think Yuuki's boyfriend is planning on punching you for flirting with Yuuki, and he  _ definitely _ would if we stole Yuuki away just so you could fail at working and flirt more."

Simultaneously, Mishima and Akira's cheeks burst into flames, both teens blushing as Mishima rushed to correct Ren's assumption, stuttering out, "K... Kurusu and I aren't... It's not... I... Ren!"

There was a slight whine to his tone on Ren's name as he hid his face in his hands, groaning. Ren just chuckled, nudging Mishima slightly before walking off with a fond, "See ya around, Yuuki! And you, Kurusu... Now, come on, Akechi-sama! We don't have all day."

Akechi seemed like he wanted to argue with Ren, but eventually sighed and followed them with a murmured goodbye... As soon as he was out of sight, Mishima pulled away from Akira, babbling, "I... I'm so sorry about Ren! They... They're always trying to set me up with people or teasing me about my non-existent love life and I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay, Mishima. I understand. That's just how family is..." Akira cut Mishima off, smiling softly. The shorter teen blinked in surprise up at him before smiling shyly and tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. Akira's heart fluttered at the sight, internally dying of cuteness, but ignored his feelings in favour of suggesting, "Why don't we go on the rides?"

Mishima visibly perked up at that, beaming as he started to walk in on direction and rambled, "I've been here a couple of times and there are some awesome rides! I think you'll like the Haunted Mansion! It's really fun and not that scary. At least, I don't find it scary... Or we could ride Aquatopia! It's really cool! Or- Um, sorry. I didn't mean to go on..."

"It's fine. I like listening to you," Akira reassured Mishima without a thought, his words drawing a cute blush from the bluenette. Mishima seemed to hesitate before smiling shyly and continuing where he'd left off. Unable to help himself, Akira smiled back, soft and fond as he listened to Mishima babble. He was so cute... He-

"Do... Do you want to ride this?" Mishima asked hesitantly as he slowed in front of the Haunted Mansion ride. Akira paused, eyeing the ride curiously, before nodding minutely. That seemed to be the right reaction, since Mishima beamed and led him to the front of the ride. Something warm burst in Akira's heart as he watched Mishima, warmth that turned into an all-encompassing fire when they got onto the ride. They were sat right next to each other, pressed close enough that Akira could smell Mishima and feel his heat and... Well, if Akira pretended to be more scared by the ride than he actually was so he could grip Mishima's hand out of 'fear'... No one needed to know that...


	21. Memoria et oscula

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title means 'Memories and kisses'.  
> Also, I'm officially back at school! Updates will have to be a lot slower now...

Later that evening, the Phantom Thieves returned to Mishima's Palace. Thankfully, the shadow that ruled over the land wasn't able to intercept them as they snuck through the vent Morgana had found, and they soon found themselves inside the main building, on the first floor. The room they were in was completely void of 'people' but full to the brim of items, all kept in glass cases. Akira couldn't help but gape at some of the things he saw on display... Thoughtlessly, he walked over to one of the cases, frowning as he read the inscription under the cat ears he'd given Mishima earlier that day...

_ 'A cat ear headband the Phantom Thief leader, Kurusu Akira, was kind enough to buy for the undeserving Mishima Yuuki. Kurusu also got a similar pair, but in navy, and didn't seem to mind matching with that Mishima loser. Even after Mishima put his foot in it and told Kurusu that matching was something only couples did.' _

The words made Akira's heart ache. He... Did Mishima really feel that way? Did... Did he really think so little of himself? Did he-

"Hey, Leader!" Ryuji called, stealing Akira from his thoughts, "I... You should see this..."

Without a thought, Akira walked over, only to freeze at what he saw. It... It was a picture from Mishima's eyes, one of him looking into a mirror... His face was written over with word 'ugly' in a bright red, violent font, but that didn't do much to hide the tears running down his cheeks or the bruise blossoming on his right cheek. And it couldn't hide the mottled, scarred, damaged mess that was Mishima upper body... Sure, Akira had seen the scars before (they'd been to the beach together, and had changed in the same room before. Mishima's scars weren't exactly a secret to anyone in their year at school), but in the picture, it was almost like they were in high-definition. They seemed exaggerated... But none of that was what made Akira's stomach turn. No, that  _ honour _ was saved for Mishima's left wrist... Blood dripped from the cuts, red and thick and so much that Akira couldn't fight the pained noise that burst from him. It almost sounded like a sob... However, he was quick to force down his feelings as he read the inscriptions under the picture...

_ 'Just one of the many instances when Mishima Yuuki broke like the waste of space he is... He has gotten better, but that is only because he has spent a lot of time with Kurusu Akira, who is kind and supportive and wonderful... Mishima is still a complete failure though.' _

Something sick settled in Akira's gut. He... Mishima really... He actually... He-

"Joker..." Makoto's soft voice forced Akira to focus on her as she laid a reassuring hand on his arm. Once their eyes met, though, Makoto visibly startled, seeing something that shocked her... Akira quickly forced himself to hide what he was feeling, shoving it down and speaking up.

"We should get moving," he declared, turning away from the picture and heading to the door. His friends tried to argue, tried to tell him it was okay that he was upset, but he didn't listen, preferring to walk into the next room... Of course, what he saw in there hurt too...

The entire room was full of pictures with inscriptions, like the one in the previous room, but these weren't just Mishima. They were of all sorts of things, but most of them... Most of them were people hurting Mishima. Kamoshida. Kids from their school. Kids from Mishima's middle school. A man and a woman Akira didn't recognise, but who had to be Mishima's parents... It... Akira's heart ached for Mishima, but a different part of the room caught his attention... Blinking in surprise, he couldn't fight it as his feet carried him over to the side. Was that...? It was. He... He...

"That... That's a lot of pictures of you, Joker..." Futaba commented, eyes wide as she eyed the pictures in question. Akira couldn't help but silently agree. It was nearly an entire wall's worth of pictures of just him... There were a few other people scattered along the wall, but most of them were Akira. Although, considering the title of the wall was 'People Mishima Yuuki likes', it kinda made sense that Akira was the primary focus... After all, he was the only person Mishima actually considered a friend... Although, there did seem to be more to the pictures. It was almost like-

"Mishima is smitten with you..." Ann commented, leaning over a little to read the caption of one of the pictures, quoting aloud, "' In this above picture, Kurusu Akira is seemingly lost in thought as he pays his teacher no attention in class. The sunlight made him look especially pretty that day...'... Wow, he likes you a lot..."

Part of Akira wanted to argue, to say that Mishima would never want him, but he couldn't, not when he had just spotted a caption that spelt Mishima's feelings out for him... And he didn't seem to be the only one who saw it, as Yusuke chuckled quietly and read out, "'This is what Kurusu Akira looked like when Mishima Yuuki realised he had feelings for him. It happened when they were in the planetarium to find someone Mishima had heard rumours about (and that person ended up being Kurusu's friend Kitagawa, who Mishima embarrassed himself in front of and who probably only pretended to be nice to Mishima because he has this Palace). Kurusu had made a joke about the moon and it made Mishima laugh, which -for some reason Mishima still does not understand- made Kurusu give him this soft, surprisingly fond smile... It was so cute, Mishima couldn't help but fall.'"

"I... He'd liked me since then?" Akira breathed, disbelieving. He... He didn't know what to say. That made no sense... He- A sudden ruckus startled him from his thoughts, prompting him to hide in the shadows. And it was a good job he and the other Phantom Thieves hid when they did, since not even a moment later, Mishima's shadow rounded the corner with his cognition of Akira, giggling and chatting away... 

The pair seemed completely caught up in each other, solely focused on themselves, and that was good for Akira. After all, he nearly fell out of his hiding spot when he saw what the pair were doing... The shadow grinned brightly as he swung the cognition's hand and babbled, pressed close to the taller's side. It... It almost looked like they were on a date... It- When the pair suddenly came to a stop just a few feet away from the Thieves, Akira tensed, ready to fight if he needed. However, he clearly didn't need to. After all, all that happened was Mishima's shadow leaning up and kissing the cognition soundly... Akira's heart stuttered in his chest, torn between joy at the fact that Mishima wanted to kiss him enough for his shadow to kiss his cognition and jealousy, but he didn't get the chance to dwell on it. Instead, he just watched silently as Mishima giggled and tugged the cognition away, waiting until they were out of the room to sigh and speak...

"We... we should keep moving..."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long to post! I've been really busy with school, trying to keep on top of my other fics (I like to post in a specific order when I can), and a few personal things... Again, I'm sorry!

As much as everyone tried to argue, Akira pushed forward, heading up through the Palace until they got to what could only be described as a maze. It seemed to cover the entire floor, and Akira hesitated at the start to it. For a moment, Morgana tried to suggest they head back to the last safe room to regroup, but Akira shook his head and said, "We need to keep moving. I-"

"Who the hell are you guys?" a very,  _ very _ familiar voice snarled, prompting the entire group to turn and face the source. However, they froze when they saw who it was... It was Mishima's cognition of Ryuji, grinning and resting a bat with nails in against his shoulder as he waited for an answer. When one didn't come forth, however, he sighed and said, "Look, you guys, you have ta  _ pay _ ta take part in the maze. The toll booth's this way..."

With that, the cognition turned on his heels and started to lead the group to the booth. For a moment, they all hesitated, but Akira sighed and murmured, "Let's go..."

That was all it took for them all to start following the cognition. Soon enough, they were at a booth, where cognition Ryuji turned around with a grin and said, "Alright, you can either pay with 20,000 yen, or you can take part in the quiz to earn enough coins to take part! Which would you prefer?"

At that, Akira hesitated. Sure, he could technically pay the yen fee, but he kinda wanted to see what he could do about the quiz... With a soft sigh, he nodded to himself and asked, "Can we do the quiz?"

"Of course!" the cognition replied, grinning and grabbing a piece of paper, "Imma just ask you some questions, then I'll score you depending on how accurate your answers are!"

Akira glanced at his friends, only to nod when he saw that they all agreed. That made the cognition grin even more as he cleared his throat and asked, "Who is Mishima Yuuki's favourite person ever?"

"I..." Akira hesitated at that. He knew what the likely answer was, but he didn't quite believe it, and he certainly didn't want to be the one to say it... Eventually, though, he sighed and forced out, "His favourite person is Kurusu Akira..."

"Correct!" the cognition beamed, nodding and jotting a quick note down, "That's three points! Next up... Who does Mishima Yuuki hate most in the world?"

That one made Akira pause as he frowned. There were lots of possibilities there... I mean, there was Kamoshida, his parents, the bullies-

"Himself?" Makoto offered hesitantly, and Akira's heart froze when the cognition confirmed it. That... Mishima really...? He- But... Why? Did... Did he really have no idea how absolutely amazing he was? Did he really hate himself  _ that _ much? What-

"Nice! Okay, next up..." Akira half drifted as they completed the rest of the quiz, barely keeping himself together as they answered question after question. He... He hadn't realised just how bad it was. And he couldn't help but blame himself a little. If he'd seen it sooner, could he have helped? Would Mishima have  _ let _ him help? He... He didn't know. And, God, did it hurt. Mishima was incredible and adorable and he meant so much to Akira, yet he didn't have the slightest clue. He didn't know how much he was loved, or cared about, or-

"Awesome! You guys got enough coins to get into the maze! And, because you managed to get all of the questions about our cool manager right, you get a prize of your choice!" cognitive Ryuji beamed, reaching behind the toll booth and bringing out a board with a list, "That means you get to buy whatever you want with the rest of your coins, and pick a special prize you can't just buy! What're you guys feelin'?"

That made Akira focus up, frowning as he considered the buyable prizes and the specials board. Hesitating, he quietly asked the rest of the group. They all echoed their usual sentiment, willing to just let Akira choose, so he returned his eyes to the prizes. After a moment of quick math, figuring out how many coins they had left, Akira brought one of literally everything he could, aware that some of the items (such as the knock-off LeBlanc coffee and a version of the curry he'd made Mishima when he'd come over that time) could help restore HP and SP, whilst also curious about the 'Manager Dagger' he'd gotten... Once he'd sorted that, he focused on the specials board. Cognitive Ryuji had said they could get one thing... As he eyed the board, Akira found something that caught his attention. What the... Rather than dwelling too much, he cleared his throat and asked, "Could... Could we see the 'Secret Manager Favourite'?"

"Sure!" the cognition replied, leaning down behind the counter and tugging something Akira couldn't quite see yet, babbling away, "The Manager is kinda particular about a lot of things, but, like, he loves this! I'm not completely sure what it's about, but he's super fond of it, so..."

When the cognition trailed of, Akira finally got a good look at the prize, his heart stopping at what he saw... It was some kind of book, messy and old, but Akira recognised it. It was a copy of 'The Star's Dance'... Something in Akira flared up, warm and fond, when he realised just what it may have meant, and he hesitated before carefully picking the book up. Flipping through it, he noted that it seemed to be dog-eared and well-read, seemingly loved... For a few moments, he flicked through the book, unable to fight the small, fond smile that tugged at his lips, but eventually he cleared his throat and informed cognitive Ryuji that he'd take the book. That earned him a bright smile before the cognition suggested the group went to the maze and complete it, quickly adding, "If you manage to complete it, you'll get free access to the next floor of the tower and to choose a special prize from a different list! Those prizes are even cooler than these ones!"

Akira nodded and thanked him, heading to the maze quickly. He wanted to get it over with as quickly as possible..."


	23. De errore viarum visitationes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title means 'Of mazes and visits'

Soon enough, the Phantom Thieves were making their way through a badly lit maze. It seemed to just twist and turn, and Akira just couldn't see a way out-

"This maze... It is similar to the nature of Mishima's heart and mind, is it not? Twisting and changing direction so much..." Yusuke commented when the group reached their fifth dead-end in twenty minutes. Surprisingly enough, though, that gave Akira an idea... Hesitating, he took a deep breath before refocusing. If Yusuke was right, if the maze was truly similar to Mishima's heart and mind in such a way, there was maybe a way he could work with it. Maybe... Sighing, he cleared his throat and turned to his friends before speaking up.

"If this maze is really like that, I... I think we could use it. Mishima... Mishima has feelings for me, right? And his maze is constantly changing. So... In order to get through, since I'm the person who already wormed my way into Mishima's heart, we can find a way using that," he explained. For a few moments, none of the others seemed to understand, so Akira sighed and told them to wait where they were. That earned him a wave of arguments, but he insisted, and eventually, he was able to step away. He hesitated at first, not completely sure about if what he was doing would even work, but he forced himself through his concern, leaning against a wall near a camera and staring directly into as he stated, "I am Kurusu Akira, the person Mishima Yuuki loves. And I need to get through this maze..."

For a few seconds, nothing happened, but the walls soon started to shift, changing until there was a path straight to the exit. Within minutes, everyone was on the other side of the maze, and Akira smiled as he explained, "I figured if the maze knew who I was, it would let me in. Since it was like Mishima's heart and all..."

"That makes sense..." Morgana replied, but he was cut off by a very familiar voice...

"Oh! Did you guys complete the maze?" a cognitive version of Ann asked, beaming from her seat behind a counter. Akira hesitated before nodding, walking over as the cognition stood up and grabbed a board like the one cognitive Ryuji had had. She displayed the board, smiling and exclaiming, "Cool! So you guys get to choose a prize!"

Akira only had to glance at his friends to know they were going to leave the choice up to him, so he sighed and refocused on the board. He took a few minutes to read it before hesitantly asking, "Can I look to the 'Manager's Best Original'?"

"Sure!" the cognition replied, reaching behind the counter and pulling out a bag before handing it to Akira. For a moment, the Phantom Thief hesitated, but eventually he opened the bag, only to pause at what he saw. Was that really...? He took it out, frowning at the picture frame. It was a simple frame itself, but the picture... Akira's heart was thumping as he examined the painting of himself, done in excellent detail and honestly too damn nice. Akira was not that attractive-

"That's a painting our useless manager did himself! I mean, he's otherwise completely worthless and we all hate him, except for Akira obviously, but he's not that terrible at art, you know?" cognitive Ann explained, shrugging slightly. Akira felt something rise in him, angry and protective, but he ignored that in favour of quietly thanking the cognition and walking away quickly. His friends followed without complaint, and they soon came across a safe room. Akira hesitated whilst they rested for a minute, but eventually, he sighed and spoke up...

"We should head back..." he stated, earning a few surprised noises but ultimately everyone agreed...

That's how, just a little while later, Akira found himself sat in his bedroom, scrolling through his texts with Mishima. He... He couldn't help how his heart ached. Once he'd returned to the real world, he'd found that the book he'd won had become an unused replica of itself, whereas the portrait stayed the same. Some part of Akira wanted to keep the portrait, to ask Mishima about it, to just  _ know _ , but he couldn't. He couldn't tell Mishima about everything. At least, not yet... maybe, if the others agreed, he could after they'd completed the palace? But not yet. Not until everything was done, not until he'd managed to help, not until he'd  _ fixed this- _

A sudden notification stole Akira's attention, and he quickly scrolled down to the bottom of his chat, reading the message as soon as he could.

** Mishima: Hi Kurusu! Is it okay if I come by? I have a few ideas for our project that I want to run by you. **

** Mishima: It's cool if you're busy or something! **

** Mishima: Or if you just don't want me to come over! **

Akira couldn't help but smile slightly, typing out a reply before Mishima could work himself up too much...

_ Me: Of course you can come over. I'll leave the door unlocked _

He could feel Morgana's judgemental, annoyed gaze as he got up from his bed. The cat made to say something, so Akira cut him off with a firm, "It's Mishima. I want to see him."

That made Morgana hesitate before sighing, murmuring something about letting Akira off the hook this once. Akira smiled at that, petting the cat for a second before heading down to the cafe. It wasn't that late, so Sojiro was still there, and Akira smiled at him before stating, "Mishima's coming over so we can work on our art project for a bit. I hope that's okay..."

"Sure," Sojiro replied, shrugging and starting to make Akira a coffee, "Will he want a drink?"

"Probably..." Akira murmured, frowning slightly as he clicked onto the Phansite. The comments had gotten worse... He had no idea how Mishima handled all of it, the hate, the anger, the idiots-

The door opening around an hour later distracted Akira, and he smiled as soon as he saw a familiar bluenette, greeting him with a soft, "Hey, Mishima..." 

However, once he got a proper look at Mishima, his smile fell. A dark bruise was blossoming along his cheekbone, there was that shadow of a hand at his throat, and he had a split lip. That... Mishima seemed to hesitate, visibly scared and with wet eyes, so Akira got up, walking over to him carefully. When the bluenette didn't flinch away, Akira gently cupped his uninjured cheek and murmured, "Who did this to you?"

Mishima bit his lip, accidentally opening the cut there, before shaking his head. As much as he wanted to press, Akira just sighed and nodded, frowning as he ordered, "Go to my room. I'll get the medkit and some ice..."


	24. Dolor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title means 'Pain'

Mishima was quick to do as he was told, heading up to Akira's room without a word, and as soon as he was out of sight, Akira started to shake. Who the  _ fuck _ hurt him? Akira would make them pay-

"Here, kid," Sojiro muttered, holding out the medkit and three ice packs, "Go see to him. I've got some more ice packs, just in case, but take those for now..."

Akira hesitated before sighing and taking the items, murmuring a quiet thanks before heading up to his room. Once there, he found Mishima sat on his couch, looking frightened and vulnerable... It made something in Akira flare protectively, but he ignored that in favour of smiling slightly and walking over slowly. Mishima watched him warily, so he stopped a few steps away and quietly asked, "Do you want me to help you?"

For a few seconds, Mishima seemed unsure, but he eventually nodded minutely. Akira moved closer, only to kneel next to him. That drew a small blush from Mishima, and as much as Akira wanted to enjoy it, he was too distracted by the way Mishima's lip slowly bled. It made Akira want to hurt whoever had done this to Mishima... Instead of doing that, he whispered, "Are you hurt anywhere other than your neck and face?"

Mishima hesitated before nodding, so Akira pressed quietly, "Where?"

"I... Everywhere, pretty much..." Mishima replied, voice soft and broken as he avoided looking directly at Akira. Akira's heart ached for him, but he had to go on, and quietly asked if Mishima was okay with stripping, so he could help him with his injuries. That made the bluenette blush brightly and pause, but he eventually nodded slightly, carefully tugging his top off. Each inch of skin that was revealed made Akira feel sick to his stomach. Layers of scars littered the skin, red and white, old and new, but that wasn't all he could see... There were bruises and cuts scattered across the skin, painful and some of the cuts still bleeding. It... Akira took a shaky breath but moved back when Mishima stood up and carefully shuffled out of his trousers. There, on his legs, were even more scars and bruises, but thankfully not more cuts. Akira gulped, his heart aching for Mishima, but he was quickly distracted by the way the bluenette shakily whispered, "I... I'm sorry you have to deal with this..."

"I'm not 'dealing with' anything," Akira said firmly, standing and gently grasping Mishima's hands, "You are my friend, alright? I'm here for you, no matter what-"

He was cut off suddenly, the soft sob that escaped Mishima as he rushed forward to hug Akira shattering the taller teen's heart. It... What he was doing was just basic decency, but it seemed like Mishima hadn't expected even that much. It... It made Akira want to go out and hurt something-

"I'm going to kill whoever hurt you..." he found himself growling, only for Mishima to tense. The bluenette's reaction made Akira panic, internally cursing himself for losing his temper, but before he could get too worked up, Mishima just  _ melted _ , burying his head into Akira's shoulder and pressing closer and sobbing. It shattered Akira as he pulled Mishima closer, murmuring, "I've got you... You're safe here. I'll protect you, Yu- Mishima..."

The small slip up made Mishima tense, seemingly unsure, but he relaxed soon enough, getting himself under control and whispering, "I... You can use my given name... If you want..."

Akira's heart stuttered in his chest as he found himself agreeing and offering Mi- Yuuki the same. It made the bluenette blush, but he agreed quickly. However, before either of them could say anything else, they were distracted by Sojiro calling up the stairs, "Mishima, Akira! Once you're done, come down here! I'll make you curry and coffee!"

The sudden voice startled the pair apart and abruptly reminded Akira of Yuuki's state of undress, making him blush brightly as he mumbled something about helping Yuuki with his wounds. Yuuki nodded, blushing too, and let Akira get to work... It didn't take long, even as Akira kept up a running commentary about how he knew how to handle how Yuuki was hurt (the pleasures of being the son of a doctor, he supposed). Yuuki managed to sit through it with barely any reactions, something which Akira couldn't help but question once they were done, quietly asking, "...How could you just sit through that?"

"...I've been hurt enough times that this, today, wasn't even that bad..." Yuuki replied, carefully redressing. It made Akira's chest ache as he glared out of the window, grumbling something about how Yuuki deserved better. Yuuki blushed at that, ducking his head and smiling slightly as he stuttered out, "I... You...  _ Thank you _ ..."

"It's just the truth," Akira stated, shrugging. Yuuki clearly didn't quite believe that, but he let it go, suggesting they both went downstairs. Akira agreed, smiling softly and letting Yuuki go first. It was only a couple of minutes later, when they were both settled in a booth with their dinner in front of them, though, that the question clawing for Akira's attention was asked...

"So, kid... What happened?" Sojiro asked, eyeing Yuuki carefully from his spot behind the counter. The teen tensed instantly, eyes wide and cheeks pale, before trying to stutter out some sort of lie. The way Sojiro raised an eyebrow showed he wasn't believed, but when Yuuki's fumbling went on for too long, Akira spoke up.

"It's okay, Yuuki. You don't need to tell us, not if you don't want to..." he murmured, smiling reassuringly at Mishima. It made the bluenette relax, smiling softly, so Akira carefully reached across the booth and squeezed Mishima's hand. He couldn't help but return Mishima's smile, even as he planned how to find who'd done this, and state, "You should stay here tonight."

For a split-second, it looked like Mishima was planning to argue, but he caved quickly, muttering his assent. Akira hadn't expected him to give in so easily, in all honesty, but he brushed it off with a smile as he changed the topic, asking Mishima about the Phansite. That was all it took for Mishima to light up and begin babbling away, and as he talked, Akira planned...


	25. Familia et abusu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title means 'Family and abuse'

Akira woke late the next morning, having barely slept. He'd been too worried about Yuuki to... Thankfully, though, it was Sunday, so he wasn't going to miss the train to school. However, as soon as he was awake, he became aware of something wrong... Yuuki wasn't in his room. He'd left at some point. It... That made Akira falter. He thought they were getting somewhere, but Yuuki just left. He'd gone without even so much as a goodbye-  
"Oh! You're awake!" a soft voice at the top of the stairs startled Akira, but he was quick to get himself under control. It took him a second to recognise the voice, head fuzzy with sleep, but he smiled when he did...  
"Hey, Yuuki..." he rasped, looking at where Yuuki stood at the top of the stairs. The bluenette had gotten dressed at some point, borrowing the clothes Akira had left out for him the previous night, and the sight of Mishima in his clothes... It was just adorable. Especially considering how much smaller the other teen was... It made Akira want to melt, but he knew he couldn't, so instead, he quietly asked, "How long have you been up?"  
"Three, four hours..." Yuuki replied, shrugging and wincing slightly when the movement pulled at his injuries. He seemed... shy, for lack of a better word, fiddling with his hands and not meeting Akira's eyes... Before Akira could ask what was wrong, though, Yuuki stuttered out, "Um... Okumura and Nijima are here to see you... I... I came up to wake you up, but... But you're already awake, so I'm just gonna... go and wait downstairs..."  
Part of Akira wanted to reach out, to comfort the bluenette, but he didn't get the chance to. Before he could even open his mouth to speak, Yuuki was already heading down the stairs... Sighing to himself, Akira got up slowly, rubbing his tired eyes and yawning. He figured he should probably get dressed, before going to speak to the girls... As another sigh escaped him, he gathered up some clothes and changed. In the end, he walked down the stairs in a pair of joggers and a loose tank top, not really having the energy to be more put together than that. Thankfully, though, neither Makoto nor Haru seemed to mind, the former greeting him with a quiet, "Good morning, Akira..."  
Humming a note of acknowledgement, Akira shuffled over to the counter, plopping onto one of the stools and accepting the coffee Sojiro placed in front of him sleepily. He took a few long sips of his drink before being awake enough to murmur, "What's up?"  
"We... We wanted to see how you're doing," Makoto replied, glancing at Yuuki quickly. The bluenette, thankfully, missed her look, too busy pressing an icepack to his neck as Sojiro scolded him for not doing so sooner. Akira couldn't fight the urge to just protect Yuuki that clawed its way into his mind, barely holding back from just going to the bluenette and helping him with his bruises... He knew he couldn't do that, though, that it'd probably spook Yuuki or make him too uncomfortable, so he shoved the desire to the back of his mind as Makoto quietly asked him, "Is... Is Mishima okay?"  
"I... I don't know..." Akira replied, glancing at Yuuki again. By now, Sojiro was passing him a new ice pack, grumbling about stupid kids, but the fond smile on his lips seemed to put Yuuki at ease... Seeing the bluenette relaxed like he was at that moment made Akira's heart skip a beat, but he ignored that in favour of telling Makoto, "I'm going to stay with him today. But tomorrow... We should go to his palace. I-"  
The door opening made Akira cut himself off, but he relaxed when he saw that it was Takemi. She was okay. She- She rushed straight to Yuuki, frowning as she greeted the younger bluenette with a concerned, "Yuuki? What happened?"  
"I... Tae! What... What are you doing here?" Yuuki's voice was high and a little lost, and Akira was on his feet before he knew it, making his way to his friend and stopping beside him with a small, silent glare directed at Takemi. He didn't know how she and Yuuki knew each other, but Yuuki was clearly uncomfortable, and like hell he was just going to stand by-  
"I was going to get a drink during my lunch break... Yuuki, what happened?" Takemi's hand were gentle as she tilted Yuuki's head to get a better look at the bruise on his neck. Akira didn't relax, though, placing a reassuring hand on Yuuki's shoulder as he quietly asked how they knew each other. The two bluenettes paused, glancing at each other quickly, before Yuuki nodded hesitantly. That seemed to give Takemi some sort of permission, and she spoke up as she examined Yuuki's swollen cheek, "Yuuki is my half-brother."  
That made Akira pause, blinking in surprise, but before he could say anything, Takemi turned her attention back to Yuuki and asked him what had happened. The younger bluenette just shook his head, shuddering slightly, so Takemi sighed and took the ice pack he held, pressing it against his cheek with a worried, "Alright... Do you need me to do anything?"  
Yuuki hesitated for a few seconds, seemingly battling with himself, before stuttering out a small, scared, "Can... Can I stay with you for a while?"  
"Of course," Takemi replied, taking a seat on the stool next to Yuuki. It was only then that she noticed Akira was still stood by Yuuki's side and holding his shoulder. She glanced between the pair, curious, before carefully asking, "So how do you two know each other?"  
There was a teasing hint to her tone that drew a slight flush to Akira's cheeks, but he didn't get the chance to say anything. Instead, Yuuki spoke up, shrugging slightly as he murmured, "Akira's a friend..."  
Akira paused then, his heart fluttering in his chest. Yuuki... He'd actually accepted that they were friends... He'd accepted that they were friends! He-  
"Alright," Takemi stated, glancing over Yuuki quickly before focusing on Akira, "Let's talk privately."  
Her words made Yuuki tense, but Akira squeezed his shoulder reassuringly and agreed, which was enough to calm the bluenette. As much as he didn't want to leave Yuuki, he knew he had to talk to Takemi, so Akira sighed and led Takemi up to his room. Once there, the doctor turned to him, frowning, and said lowly, "Promise you'll look after Yuuki."  
"I promise," Akira replied without hesitation, the speed of his response earning him a raised eyebrow. However, before Takemi could question it, he continued by asking, "I... Do you think his parents may have hurt him?"  
For a few seconds, Takemi hesitated. She seemed... unwilling to say anything, at first, but eventually, she nodded. And that was all Akira needed. He fought down the urge he felt to just go find those fuckers and beat the shit out of them, instead growling out a tense, "What are their names?"


End file.
